The Darkness Among Us
by lucystilinski
Summary: Sequel to Under My Skin - Two week post all the mess that Jennifer caused, the teenagers are slowly struggling to find their way back into normal lives. Eva Davis, however, is still caught in the aftermath of the mess she'd caused. Despite the calm that came over Beacon Hills, no one is aware of the darkness that will brew a completely different new kind of storm.
1. A New Abnormal

**A/N:**

**Yes, this is what you've all been waiting to read (or what I've been waiting to post) - the sequel to Under My Skin. As I previously posted and mentioned, this story's plotline is spun out of my imagination BASED on 3B. Also, the story's rating changed from T to M as there will be triggering contents in future chapters. I will make sure to add astrexis before any content I deem triggering and give a heads up every author's note. **

**Another thing, seeing as I've already started the academic year, I will do my very best to post a chapter per week, it's going to be hard but I'll do my best. Don't worry though, I have no plans whatsoever of forgetting about my story. I love it too much.**

**Trigger Warnings: Depression (Please don't feel offended if I didn't write or describe it accurately. I tried my best google it and describe it as best as I could, I am no psychologist after all)**

**Please, please, pretty please do NOT forget to post your reviews! I know the story has a fair share of readers but little review but you guys have no idea what your opinions do for me. They really make me happy - whether you guys fangirl or offer constructive criticism, I would love BOTH. Now, I'll shut up. You guys enjoy, and TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**

* * *

Stiles was running late for school, and he kept cursing all the way for waking up late and missing out on checking on Eva.

It had been two weeks since it had all happened. The town was still recovering from the people that had died, but it seemed well on its way on putting it all behind. However, Stiles couldn't say the same for Eva. After her mother's funeral, Eva rarely ever left the apartment unless it was for follow up appointments or the walks she was now required to do every day to recover and strengthen her body. She refused to talk to therapists, to her father, and even to him.

Stiles couldn't blame her – what Eva had went through wasn't something anyone should ever go through, but the way she acted, the way she behaved – he just couldn't help but worry. She was sinking and he couldn't tow her back, and he had no idea what to do.

"_So um, I gotta go back to school starting tomorrow." Stiles started as he sat beside Eva on her bed, brushing her hair back gently as he stared down at her. Her eyes stared off blankly at the covers, and Stiles frowned, "I can bring you the homework and papers we get to keep you in the loop if you want."_

"_Yeah, that would be great." She whispered, and Stiles tasted that familiar weight in her voice. The heavy tone of sadness that sent tremors through his body._

_Stiles' eyes drifted to the nightstand before he took a deep breath, "Did you take your night dose yet?" _

"_Not yet." She mumbled and flickered her gaze up to his, before she pushed herself up onto her elbow to start sitting up. Stiles hurried to help her when he saw her wince, "Here, here." He whispered as he helped her sit up and propelled the pillow behind her back, before he scooted closer so he could take a good look at her face. He ran the pad of his thumb underneath her eyes gently, before tracing it over her cheek and smiling briefly, "You got your color back."_

_And Stiles only said that because after the…attack, Eva had lost massive amounts of blood that rendered her pale for days. Stiles hovered around her before and after the funeral, too scared that she might drop dead any minute._

_The memory of Eva's lifeless body in his arms still haunted Stiles. But he never told her that. As a matter of fact, Eva had no recollection of being dead, or at least so far that's what he believed. He didn't talk to her about that night except once, and it wasn't directly to her either – it was him repeating the story he'd told the cops so she could know exactly what to tell them when they questioned her._

_But he could still remember that night very clearly, and sometimes he wished he didn't. He remembered the tremor of pain that ran through her body, the gasps for breath, the whimpers of fear – he remembered her blood escaping past his hands, so warm against them as he tried to keep her alive long enough. And every time he closed his eyes it played out before him again. A recurring nightmare, but not one that had him wake up screaming, because when he texted Eva at 3 am, she texted right back. Every time._

_Eva smiled at him sadly – at least that was the closest hint of a smile Stiles had managed to get out of her for a while now. He took a deep breath before he edged towards the nightstand to take out her medication, having already memorized her prescription. Stiles handed her the pills in the small cup they kept on the nightstand just for that before he held out the glass of water._

_He saw the slight wince when she'd set the glass aside and pulled his brows together in concern, his teeth biting onto his lower lip, "Does it still hurt?"_

_He asked her that question almost every time they were together. _Does it still hurt? _He'd ask. And she'd always answer, _Everything hurts.

"_Physically." She mumbled before she gave off a slight bob of her head, and Stiles sat straight at the change of attitude. "I still feel like everything is not in its right place." She started and shrugged a little, "I wouldn't mind to sleep without feeling my stomach was going to fall out of my ass."_

_Stiles let his head hang over his chest as a slight small stretched onto his lips. There she went again, diverting the question with yet a new technique. He reached out the scratch the back of his head before he pursed his lips, "When did you get so sarcastic?"_

"_I'm dating you, aren't I?" Eva answered, and this time he saw a flicker of the old Eva, the one that didn't seem so broken or so lost. Or so sad._

_Stiles' eyes drifted down to her hand, before he took it within his. He traced his finger over her palm, before the pads of his fingers moved along her wrist to toy with the rubber band he'd given her, and he smiled a bit. "You need to get better so I can spoil you." Stiles started as he looked up at her, and Eva let out a chuckle, before it trailed off into the morose air that seemed to surround her like an aura lately._

"_Because," Stiles started as he glanced back at his backpack, "I'm going to spoil you anyways." _

_Stiles brought his backpack onto his lap and dug through it before he brought out a small box and then turned to Eva, and he smiled, "You've been through a lot." He started, "We've been through a lot. But you're strong. You helped me fight my own monsters and kept me down to earth and I'm willing to do the same for you so here." Stiles finished as he opened the box and Eva's eyes flickered down to the necklace inside it. _

_It was a beautiful necklace. An infinity on one end and a small anchor dangling through it on the other. Eva's eyes flickered up to Stiles', and his heart sunk when he saw the expression on her face, "I don't deserve that." She started and shook her head slowly. "It's too much."_

"_It really wasn't, Eva." Stiles started hesitantly, "It didn't cost that much."_

"_It's not the money, but it looks like it cost a lot by the way." Eva started, before she took the box from Stiles and closed it gently, "I am not ready to accept this. And I don't think I'll ever be, Stiles. Let's just leave it at that."_

_Stiles stared at her for a long minute before he swallowed thickly and took a deep breath, "Eva, what happened-"_

"_I don't care if it was my fault or not." Eva whispered, "If you're going to keep talking about it then please just leave." Eva looked up at him, and her hazel hues held a sorrow that made him think twice before he said anything. Eventually, Stiles chewed on his lower lip and reached forward to open the first drawer on her nightstand and gently tugged the box from her hold to place it in the drawer and close it. "I don't want to leave."_

_Eva pursed her lips and sighed, "Will you hold me till I fall asleep?"_

_Stiles smiled weakly at her as he kicked off his shoes and crawled onto the bed beside her, helping her sink into the mattress so he could wrap his arm around her and pull her into his chest. When Eva had asked him to do that the first time, back at the hospital, he became a mess of stutters and nervous jitters as he climbed beside her. That was the closest Stiles had ever been to a girl that he cared about so much, but when he'd finally settled and when she'd finally fallen asleep, Stiles felt like he'd done the greatest thing in the world. And somehow he did. He made her feel safe._

_Stiles' eyes flickered across the room so he wouldn't fall asleep himself. He knew Eva's father had accepted the fact that he was Eva's boyfriend, but he did catch him holding her like this and the man didn't seem so keen on the closeness between them. _

"_Do you have nightmares?" She whispered, and when Stiles looked down at her, her eyes were still closed. "I didn't see what happened that night, you know. It came up behind me. But you did…so do you have nightmares?"_

_Stiles stared down at her, blinking as he contemplated his answer. If he said yes, she'd feel guilty and blame herself about it. If he said no, she'd probably feel unimportant to him. And she'd know he was lying. Sure, Stiles had his own version of a goodnight's sleep but ever since Scott was bitten even that had to be tattered with a few nightmares here and there._

"_I'm sorry." She whispered, and Stiles' focus flickered back to her again when he noticed the tears glistening on her lashes. Stiles sighed heavily as he leaned down to press his lips to the top of her head, and remain still so she could at least get some peace of mind._

"Allison!" Stiles called out as he caught up to the brunette when she closed her locker, "Hey."

"Hey," Allison turned to him with a creased forehead, "You didn't show up this morning."

"I…I overslept. How is she?" Stiles asked as he trudged alongside her, their steps quick to catch their classes since the bell was seconds away from ringing.

"Her dad says she doesn't eat very well, and now she doesn't even want to go to the doctor's appointments." Allison whispered as she shook her head slowly, "I mean I managed to get a few spoonfuls of cheerios in there but she lost her appetite too fast. I really think she should see someone, Stiles."

"I know that." Stiles sighed, frustrated, as he pinched the bridge of his nose and stopped in the middle of the hallway when he realized he passed the door to the biology lab, "Look, I'll catch up to you later." He told her and smiled gratefully before they both hurried off. Once Stiles arrived and slid into his seat, his eyes flickered sideways to the empty seat beside his, and he heaved a longing sigh. He missed Eva.

* * *

Eva sat cooped up in her room in the apartment she'd moved in very recently with her father. She still wasn't used too it – it wasn't her home. Then again, was there ever going to be a place for Eva that she could call home?

Eva's mind always managed to fabricate the darkest of thoughts. It was like every bone in her body was now deep-set with this coldness that framed her into this person she has become. This sad, aimless person. This sad, aimless, _powerful _person.

"_I'm not going to go see a therapist, Dad." Eva told her father as she shook her head furiously from where she lied on the bed. _

"_Eva, you've barely left the house for over a week now. Honey, I know you're mourning, but you need to get out. The doctor said the fresh air would be good for you. You need to go out there so you could get better." Her father protested, before he glanced back when the doorbell rang. Eva lifted a brow when he hurried off to open the door, and she slowly pushed herself out of the bed._

_She stood up slowly and peered into the hallway, her eyes widening in disbelief when she saw Stiles, and she turned to her father in aggravation, "Dad, you can't just call Stiles whenever I veto one of your suggestions! He has a life too, you know." _

"_He seems to be the only one who can get through to you, so if calling him every time you shoot down something that's good for your health will get some sense into you then I'll do it." Her father said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest._

_Stiles stepped hesitantly into the room and frowned as his eyes flickered over her figure, "You look exhausted."_

"_I am exhausted. I'm exhausted of saying that I'm fine over and over again." Eva sighed heavily as she wrapped one arm around her torso, pressed gently against her bandaged wound as she walked away from them._

"_Eva, can you please sit down? You know your dad's right. You're barely eating, I can see-"_

"_I said I'm not going to see any god damn shrinks!" Eva exclaimed as she whirled around quickly, and as if on cue the light bulbs exploded as did the window, the glass shattering into the room. Stiles held his arms over his head, and when his eyes flickered upward to Eva he saw the flicker of silver fade from her eyes just as the trickle of crimson blood appeared underneath her nose, and she swayed._

_Stiles quickly hurried towards her to catch her weakened figure, and his eyes flickered up to her father, who hurried over to pick up a slightly disorient Eva and lay her down on the bed again. Stiles reached for the tissue box on the nightstand then pressed the tissue against her nose gently, finally letting go when Eva grabbed the tissue and tilted her head back against the headboard._

"_If you won't go see a therapist then at least talk to Deaton about this." Stiles whispered when he felt Eva's father nudge his shoulder, and Eva slowly fluttered her eyes open to look at Stiles. "You need to learn to control…this power, Eva." Stiles' voice fell as did his gaze._

"_You want me to learn to control the power I earned from eleven sacrifices my aunt ever so mercilessly made?" Eva started before she swallowed thickly and shook her head, "I don't want to control it. I'll be damned if I used it. It would as if I'd killed them myself, which is really no big deal since I did kill two of them."_

"_Eva-" Her father started in protest._

"_No, Dad, really. What do you expect me to tell a therapist? I was possessed by my aunt who by the way is the reason nine people died, and killed two more, including my own mother, before some demon warrior stabbed me and almost killed me?" Eva lifted a brow as she looked up at her father, "I'm fine. And both of you need to leave."_

"_You don't mean-" Stiles looked up at her in alarm._

"_Both of you, yes Stiles. You two seem so keen on getting me to talk to people I don't want to talk to but I am fine!" Eva exclaimed yet again and winced as she looked down at her side, "Just please leave me alone." She whispered as she sank into her bed and carefully turned away from them. Stiles' eyes flickered up to her father's face before they both sighed, and left the room._

Eva knew what power she had now. She was the next druid in the Baccari bloodline and all the power her mother and her aunt possessed now belonged to her. All the lives that her aunt took, that she took, were running in her veins, fuel to a fire she didn't even want to start. But it was so easy to strike a match against that fuel. Whenever she got upset or angry, something would happen. Windows breaking, light bulbs bursting, things randomly bursting into flames. It was a horror movie coming to life and Eva hated it.

The worst part was when one of those little outbursts happened. It would always feel like someone had sucked all the energy out of her and left her swaying on her own feet. The surges of power left her in gusts and when they returned it was as if they punched her in the chest. Sometimes they knocked the breath out of her and sometimes she passed out. Best case scenarios were nosebleeds, really.

The power she had now scared her more than anything. It was a power that was born out of darkness. And Eva didn't want to learn to control it, because she didn't want to learn how to use it. She had enough darkness in her heart. And part of her, the part that felt that she deserved punishment and retribution, even sometimes enjoyed the aftermaths of those surges of power. It was sick and twisted, but it was as if she was being punished for being what she was and Eva knew, or felt, that she deserved it at least.

"Sweetheart," She heard her father's voice behind her door, "Are you ready for your follow up appointment?"

"Yeah. I'll um…be out in a second." She whispered before her eyes drifted to the nightstand. There it was, the photo Stiles had seen on her dresser on Valentine's. Her aunt and her mother's faces stared at her with complete joy, as if the world they lived in wasn't filled with monsters and bad intentions. And just staring at it made Eva want to curl up and cry.

But for now she just settled for being numb.

* * *

Stiles sighed heavily as he slammed his locker shut and sat down to put on his shoes. Today were try outs for the lacrosse team, and…well, he _was _looking forward to them, what with being literally the reason they won the state championship last season. Now he just looked at lacrosse as something to distract him from all the darkness that hung around them. And he almost felt guilty for wanting to get away from it all but he just needed it.

"Hey, man." Scott clapped his shoulder gently as he turned to him and pressed his lips into a thin line. Stiles looked up at him and took a deep breath, "Hey, get that face off your…face. Just smile, alright. You're going to be captain now so you better give me a good position." Stiles lifted both brows and watched as Scott laughed and shook his head once.

Stiles stood up slowly and patted Scott's shoulder as they both started making their way out of the locker room, "So how are things with you and Kira?" Stiles started.

"Um," Scott started and he shrugged once, "We're not…a thing yet…" Scott glanced sideways at Stiles who rolled his eyes once. "Why haven't you asked her out yet?"

"I did ask her out." Scott nodded eagerly, and Stiles lifted a brow. "Well?"

"Dude, we went to see a movie and I hugged her." Scott finally exhaled in defeat, throwing his arms in the air, "I _hugged _her."

Stiles stared at him in sympathy, "You're off your game."

"I never had a game. I don't even know why Allison liked me."

"I'll tell you why." Stiles started as they exited the school in the field, "Because you were playing first line." Stiles ruffled Scott's hair, "Now, recommend me to our peacock of a coach, okay?"

"Your peacock of a coach makes his own decisions, Stilinski! 10 laps!" The coach announced his presence with his yelling as well as his vigorous whistle, and Stiles jumped back before he took off into a sprint around the field. "What are you waiting for? Everyone, 10 laps, NOW!" The coach whistled again and the group of teenagers that came in for tryouts fell in step with Stiles.

Stiles' eyes flickered to the bleachers where he saw Kira, Lydia, and Allison all sitting there. He Lydia blow a kiss towards Aiden, and Allison wink at Isaac from the distance, and it made his heart sink.

He really missed Eva.


	2. It's Called Silver Lining

**A/N:**

**Woot second update of the sequel! Now, I must say, it was great lots of you guys came back to read the sequel, and I even saw a couple of new follows and favs too, but I was kind of bummed out I got no reviews. As you guys can see, I'm swamped thanks to school, and I barely had time to finish this update but I did. A couple of reviews would really make the effort worthwhile :)**

**Trigger Warning: Depression (Please do not feel offended if I didn't write it or describe it correctly, I've done my best) **

**Here we go now, second chapter! **

* * *

"It's Eva's birthday this weekend and I have no idea what to do." Stiles muttered as he glanced sideways at Lydia.

"Well, obviously getting her something is not working." Lydia sighed and chewed on the corner of her mouth, before she glanced sideways at Kira for some sort of help. Kira shrugged as she stared at them both, "Don't look at me, I suck at this."

"And throwing a party is just completely inappropriate." Stiles heaved out a long sigh as he scratched the back of his neck.

"But maybe it is what she needs." Lydia started as she glanced sideways at Stiles, and he blinked in pure confusion, "Maybe she needs a distraction from all of this." Lydia started and lifted both brows, "A birthday party would be perfect."

"I don't think her dad would be okay with this. I mean, all of this happened to him too." Stiles started hesitantly as he turned to Lydia with a troubled face, and Lydia's emerald hues drifted to the ground before she slammed her locker shut and grinned, "I got it. My grandmother has a lakehouse not too far from here, and I'm sure she would let us use it. My mom has the keys anyways. We can throw her a party there. This way, she'll be away from the town and get some fresh air."

Stiles stared agape at her, "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"What?" Lydia arched one delicate brow at him as they started walking towards their classes.

"Do you not watch horror movies? A bunch of teenage kids going to lakehouses to have some good time and bam!" He slammed his fist into his palm, "Some serial killer decides that it's time to kill some kids!"

Lydia lifted both brows as she stared at him before she reached out and patted his shoulder gently, "Sweetie, stop watching horror movies." She said sweetly as she turned around to leave, and Stiles stood there standing beside Kira, "I don't think a lakehouse is a good idea either." Kira started as she looked up at Stiles, "It's Beacon Hills after all. Serial killers aren't highly unlikely anymore."

"Thank you!" Stiles exclaimed as they both started walking back towards history class, and they walked in silence until Kira finally started again, "Is she okay?" Kira asked as she looked up at Stiles, who frowned and his forehead creased. "You're taking awfully too long to answer that question."

"Because I don't know if she is." Stiles breathed out helplessly as he looked down at her and shook his head slowly, "I mean, I try to visit her every day, and when I can't I try to call her or even text her before I head to bed but she's…she's not talking to me. Maybe you should talk to her." Stiles started as he looked down at Kira, "I know I'd need Scott if it was me and you two are pretty close." Stiles pointed out, and Kira's eyes drifted to the ground.

"I don't know if she'd want to talk to me." Kira shrugged a little as they lingered by the door to history class.

"Why do you think so?" Stiles frowned as he tilted his head, and Kira shook her head, "My mom brought on the oni." Kira started hesitantly.

"Eva doesn't know she died. I don't think she does." Stiles quickly hurried before Kira started again, "And even if she did know. It's not your mother's fault, I think. But it's definitely not yours, okay? Just…Eva could really use a friend." Stiles told Kira with a small smile as he headed into the class room. Kira stood there, contemplating what he'd just said, before she took a deep breath and walked into the class as well.

* * *

Stiles paced around the hallway, and Scott sighed heavily as he watched him pace around like that. "Dude, it's just lacrosse. And you're going to make the team anyways." Stiles turned to him and lifted a brow, "Dude, I know I'll make the team. Scott, we've been on the team since freshman year. The tryouts were to get us in shape and get those losers a chance to be on the team."

A group of freshmen boys turned to Stiles, and Stiles saw the slight anger in their gazes, "Gonna be great to play with you guys this year." Stiles laughed nervously as he side-stepped behind Scott and sighed heavily, "Well, then what is it?" Scott asked he turned around to look at him.

"It's Eva's birthday this weekend and…Lydia had this idea. But I'm not sure about it." Stiles started as he leaned against the line of lockers, and Scott frowned as he waited for Stiles to go on, "Lydia said," Stiles started as he waved his hand in the air once, "She said we should take her to this lakehouse her grandmother has outside of town." Stiles shrugged once, "She said we could throw her a party there and she'd be far away from all of this."

"I think it's not a bad idea." Scott started hesitantly, "But do you think her dad would be okay with that? I mean would he want her out of his sight at all?"

Stiles stared at his friend for a long moment before he took a deep breath, "Right, parents."

"What were you planning on telling your dad?" Scott lifted both brows at his friend when he seemed surprised at the idea of taking permission from parents.

"I…I actually don't know, I didn't think about that." Stiles shook his head slowly as he scratched the back of his head, then he looked up at Scott, "So um, speaking of parents," Stiles started as he looked up at Scott and lifted both brows, "How are things with you and your dad?" Stiles asked and narrowed his eyes as he tilted his head, his hand pressing against his chin.

Scott frowned and shook his head once, "He showed up at the house again. He's just all about trying to get closer to me or whatever." Scott shook his head once and turned to look away.

"And?" Stiles asked, lifting a brow.

"And nothing, Stiles." Scott started defensively as he shook his head, "The guy left when my mom and I needed him the most. I have no idea why but whatever reason he has doesn't justify what he did. And mom and I are doing just fine without him anyways." Scott turned to Stiles, and Stiles had to step back momentarily. Stiles had never seen his friend so upset about something.

"Look, I'm just saying," Stiles took a deep breath as he peered up at Stiles, "He's your father." Stiles muttered, "And part of you still cares about him because he's your dad, alright."

Scott stared at his friend, his lips pressed into a thin line before he shook his head once, then turned towards the door of the coach's office when he heard him step towards it. The freshman stood alert as the coach walked into the locker room and stood at the billboard hanging there. He pinned the papers to the billboard and hurried back into the office just as the teenagers rushed into the locker room.

The already team members, the sophomores and up grades, hung behind until the freshmen got the excitements and cries of disbelief out, and once they'd flooded out of the locker room, Scott stepped towards the billboard while Stiles hung back, figuring Scott wanted to get a look at who was on his team this year.

"Hey Stiles," Scott called out, and Stiles lifted a brow before he walked into the locker room and stood behind him, his hand falling on the paper. "Wait a minute, that can't be right." Stiles whispered as he turned to Scott with wide eyes.

"We're co-captains, dude." Scott started as he held out his hand for Stiles high five. Stiles hollered in celebration as he knocked his palm against Scott's and flailed his arms in the air. Scott stood back, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched his friend do a little victory dance.

* * *

Eva was sitting on her bed – but not underneath the covers. She was sick of just lying underneath them, being all sick and injured. But she still didn't feel like going out. She didn't want to move, or talk, and sometimes she felt like she didn't want to breathe. It actually wasn't a choice. Eva more often felt like she was being suffocated. She felt this sadness just make her want to stop taking in air into her body, and it made it even worse that breathing made her wounds ache somewhat.

But the weight didn't go away. It was like someone was drowning her – and Eva knew exactly how it was like to be drowning. She remembered it vividly as if it were yesterday. She was six years old, and they'd been at the lake her mother loved to be at so much. She remembered tripping over the edge of the pier and falling into the water. She remembered kicking her feet against the water to try and keep herself up, but it was as if something was pulling her down, and she kept sinking – but she was trying to claw her way up, she didn't give up, not when her head felt like it was going to explode and her lungs burned for air.

Then of course her dad had pulled her out of the water.

But Eva wasn't so sure if anyone could pull her out now. Part of her was terrified that the feeling she had wasn't just sadness – she was afraid it was her becoming…darker.

She realized that druids became darachs when they sought out power in some sort of illegal way, breaking the big druid rule of maintaining the balance of nature. But Eva didn't ask for that power and she didn't want it, but she had it, and she knew that having so much power messed with the balance.

Eva glanced back at the drawer that she didn't dare to open, the one by her dresser, and she frowned. The grimoire was in there and Eva couldn't bring herself to move or get up to open it to seek any sort of information that would guide. She remembered the last time she'd sat down with that book open in front of her.

_Eva laid on her stomach on her bed, the grimoire opened in front of her, her hands resting against her cheeks as she went over the freshly translated words. Her eyes were trying to digest one of the harder aspects of being a druid, channeling power. She knew druids could manipulate things and use forces to their aid. But channeling was the hard part – to draw on the energy of these objects to do something…difficult. Like going into someone's mind for example._

_She heard a knock on her door and looked up when she saw her mother linger in the doorway and smile at her, "I made you a snack." She started as she walked in and held up a bowl of cereal. Eva couldn't help but laugh a little as she pushed herself up on the bed, "Mom, it's 8 pm. You can't make cereal at night."_

"_That's just foodist. Who said cereal can't be night time food?" The woman quirked a brow at her daughter as she set the bowl of cereal on the nightstand and moved to sit down beside her daughter. Once the laughter and the joking died, the uneasy air between the two of them returned._

"_Mom," Eva started hesitantly as she looked up at her mother and took a deep breath, her lips slack as she tried to put her thoughts into worlds, but eventually ended up blurting out this, "How did I remember those Gaelic words back at the clinic?"_

_The hopeful look that was on Eva's mother's face fell before she quickly regained composure and smiled at her daughter, "Druids are born with it – the language. The power. You just need to believe in it so you can use it." Her mother said and Eva chewed on the inside of her cheek before she looked at the book again, "When did you…start using your powers?" _

"_When I was ten." Her mother sighed out as she looked down at the mattress, "Trust me, honey, the plan was to tell you everything and teach you everything but after what happened with your aunt. I feared for you. I feared the alpha pack would come for you – you were too young and I needed to protect you."_

"_But you let me believe that she was this good person that I looked up to this whole time." Eva protested in a somewhat sad tone, and Maria scooted closer to her daughter to brush her hair gently out of her face, "I couldn't rip your world away from you like that, especially after you were so broken after…when you thought she died."_

_Eva's eyes flickered up to her mother's and the woman saw the tears well up in her daughter's eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you any sooner, sweetie. I just didn't know the amount of damage it would cause and I couldn't risk hurting you like that."_

_Eva sighed heavily as she blinked away her tears, and her mother sighed as she wiped away her daughter's tears. Eva eventually caved in and sat up to hug her mother. It was curt and awkward but it was the closest they'd ever gotten in a while now. Eva eventually sniffled as she pulled away before she scratched the back of her head. _

"_You know, once you're sleeping better and your mind is clearer, I'm going to teach you how to do that." Her mother said as she gestured to the page Eva was just reading, "It's going to be fun. I remember how many glasses and bottles I've broken when my mother was teaching me."_

"_You used to break stuff with grandma?" Eva lifted a curious brow as she tried to imagine it. _

"_Oh yes, it's the only way you could learn." Maria laughed as she brushed Eva's hair back and stood up, "Eat your snack and try to sleep a little tonight, okay?" The woman started as she headed towards the door._

"_Mom." Eva sat up a little before her mother left the room, and she pursed her lips into a small smile when her mother turned back to her, "I love you." Eva nodded once and her mother smiled back at her as she nodded once, "I love you too, sweetheart." Her mother finally said before she left the room._

Eva didn't even realize she was sobbing until she heard the knock on the door, and she quickly wiped away her tears and tried to swallow down her sobs as her blurred vision drifted to the sketch of her mother that was now tarnished with her tears. She tossed the sketchbook away and reached for a tissue from the nightstand, "Come in!" She called out, expecting Stiles to be behind the door since he made sure to come by every day after school.

But she was surprised when she saw Kira.

Kira hadn't exactly been a frequent visitor since the funeral, and Eva wasn't sure why, whether it be something that Kira felt, or something that Kira's mother said. Eva realized she hadn't thought too much about Kira being missing and she felt somewhat guilty – because with all that Kira just found out about her own mother now she must feel just as confused and betrayed as Eva used to feel. It was something else to feel guilty about , and it made the sadness pull her down even more, make her lungs ache even more with every breath she took.

"Are you okay?" Kira asked, alarmed, when she saw her friend's face as she walked in and closed the door. Eva quickly wiped away her tears and nodded once, "I'm fine." She whispered and looked up at Kira who sat by the edge of Eva's bed and looked down, "I'm sorry I didn't visit more."

"It's okay." Eva told her hesitantly, "No, no, it's not." Kira started as she looked back at her friend. "You're my best friend, Eva. Actually, I've had a lot of best friends but you're the one I actually felt like my actual sister and we've known each other for like what? A couple of months?" Kira started and Eva pursed her lips as she watched Kira ramble on, "The point is, I should have visited you more. I just…I just didn't know how you'd feel when my mom was the one who summoned the Oni and why you got hurt…"

"Kira…" Eva sighed as she reached out to press her hand against Kira's shoulder gently, "Your mom saved us all." Eva started as she pursed her lips, "Just imagine if Julia did what she wanted to do. Derek would have been dead…that…evil kitsune would have been free and Julia would have been free too and it would have been horrible." Eva shook her head slowly, although she was speaking through her teeth, forcing herself to say what she knew would make her friend feel better, she was saying it. Because Eva knew she was right. Sure she was sad, but wasn't dumb.

Kira frowned as she looked back at her and pursed her lips, before she turned fully to tuck her legs underneath her body and reach out to hold Eva's hand within hers, "I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't." Eva shook her head slowly, "You won't lose me."

Kira chewed on the inside of her cheek before she took a deep breath, "So how are you?"

Eva pursed her lips and shook her head once, "I'm…I'm fine, I guess."

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Kira started as she lifted both brows, trying to urge her friend into telling her what was on her mind.

Eva was hesitant – she didn't know how to tell Kira this, but she felt like the only person she could share this was Kira, "Your….mom," Eva started hesitantly as she looked up at Kira, "She controls the Oni, right? She can summon them to wherever she wants, right?"

Kira frowned and nodded slowly, "Why?"

Eva looked down, "Because I've been feeling…." Eva paused, trying to search for the right word to describe how she felt. "I've been feeling dark."

Kira sat up, alarmed, and shook her head, her eyes speaking out one question, _how?_

"You know that…all the sacrifices Julia made…that I have the power from them now, right?" Eva whispered hesitantly, "And I can't control it. Sometimes it's…it just happens. I'm just scared that the way I came to have those powers could affect who I am somehow." Eva whispered and Kira watched as she spoke, before it dawned upon her what Eva had inquired before. "You want the Oni to check you." Kira muttered, and Eva looked up at her to nod slowly.

Kira bit onto her lower lip and shook her head slowly, "That will not sit well with Stiles."

"That's why we won't tell him." Eva started, "Your mom can call them off if something's wrong, right? It's not such a risk. Come on, Kira. I need this…" Eva begged a little as she reached out to grip Kira's hand, "Please."

Kira took a deep breath as she stared at Eva, before she nodded slowly, "Okay." She started hesitantly, "Okay, but Eva, I swear if something happens to you, I'll kill you."

"Okay." Eva breathed out a weak laugh before she moved to get up, "Do you need help?" Kira started as she reached out to hold her hand underneath Eva's elbows. "I'm fine. Let me do this, okay?" Eva started as she glanced sideways at her friend. "I'll just change into something."

"What about your dad?" Kira asked as she tilted her head.

"We'll just tell him I'm going on a walk with you." Eva started as she walked towards the wardrobe to drag out something to wear, "He'll be all excited I even agreed to go out on a walk."

"Shouldn't you be walking every day?" Kira lifted a brow at her friend as she crossed her arms over her chest, and she shook her head once when Eva dodged the question with a shrug, "I think I'll come over more often." Kira nodded once as she narrowed her eyes, before she hurried to steady Eva when the girl almost lost her balance tugging off her shorts and changed into a pair of jogging pants.

Kira stepped back as Eva turned around to shrug out of her shirt and put on a bra, and she frowned where she saw the healed stab wound scar – and the lines that webbed around it, embedded into Eva's skin, and stretching up to end just underneath her shoulder blade and by the small of her back. Kira turned away and frowned until Eva was done changing before she held her hand out for Eva to take, "Come on."

Kira was surprised at how steady Eva walked beside her into the living room, where her father sat on the couch, going over papers that were scattered all over the coffee table, "Dad," Eva announced and blinked once when her dad looked up at her, and tilted his head, "I'm going for a walk with Kira."

"You are?" Her dad asked, lifting both brows in surprise, and Eva had to roll her eyes once before she nodded once. "Do you have your phone with you? Did you take your medication?"

"Yes, dad." Eva nodded again, and Kira stood there, somewhat fidgeting as she waited for the confrontation to end.

Her dad seemed hesitant before he eventually took a deep breath and nodded once, "Alright, fine." He sighed as he got up, "Please be careful." He told Eva, then he turned to Kira who nodded quickly, "I promise you Mr. Davis she'll be fine with me." Kira hurried, her voice getting higher as she got even more nervous. The man eventually nodded in defeat despite the fact that he eyed Kira, and he held the door open for them.

Once Kira had helped Eva into the passenger side seat of her car and got into her own side of her car, Eva turned to her and lifted both brows, "You're such a bad liar."

"I'm sorry, I freaked out! He knew something was up!" Kira's eyes widened and Eva couldn't help but press her lips into a hard line to keep herself from laughing, before she shook her head once, "Just go, Kira."

It wasn't a long way to Kira's house – but it seemed like forever till the two of them had finally gotten there. Kira held Eva's hand tightly as they walked, and she glanced around in search for her mother, "Mom?"

"Kira." Her mother walked out from the hallway, her eyes flickering sideways to Eva, before she turned to her daughter, "Why is she here?"

"I want your Oni to make sure I'm myself." Eva started defiantly as she demanded the woman's attention.

"Why do you want that?" The woman asked as she stepped towards the two girls, and Kira felt the need to step in front of her friend defensively when she saw the look in her mother's eyes, and she frowned. "Because she wants to know if she's herself, Mom." Kira whispered in her friend's defense as she narrowed her eyes, "How clear can she be?"

"You feel the darkness around your heart, one left from the darkness of your own blood." Noshiko aptly ignored her daughter's bitterness and focused on Eva instead, who nodded slowly.

"Very well then." Noshiko seemed to agree too awfully quickly, and Eva lifted a brow as she stared at her – part of her wondering if the woman actually knew something. Eva saw the shadows form behind her, and she had to look at the window – she could have sworn it was light outside. She thought she had at least a few minutes to get herself ready, but when she turned back to Kira's mom, two of the Oni were standing behind her.

Kira looked back at Eva before she stepped sideways and let go of her hand, her gaze flickering in worry between Eva the one Oni that stepped forward towards her.

Eva gulped as her gaze flickered up to the dark figure that hovered above her, and she struggled to suppress her gasp when it reached forward to grab the back of her head, its thumb pressing behind her ear. The dull yellows held Eva's gaze and struck a coldness in her frame that made her feel almost hollow, numb – and it was almost the best way she'd ever felt since the funeral.

But when it let her go with a burning behind her ear, Eva realized she had no more energy to keep herself up on her feet anymore, nor had she any energy to keep her eyes open or her brain alert. It felt like she was being sucked down – it felt like she was drowning.

And as she collapsed to the ground everything melted into darkness.


	3. When All Is Lost

**A/N:**

**Yup, I'm still alive - studying my ass off for SAT's next week but still alive! I haven't updated as fast I'd hoped to but I had time to finish Under My Skin's playlist and Steva's first playlist, so make sure to check the under my skin tag on my tumblr, and tell me what you guys think! My 8tracks account is leighale, that was they're easier to find. Also, I've just been introduced into making moodboards and it's so fun, so I'll be posting a couple of those on my tumblr as well.**

**So, back to business, you guys, I could really, really use the reviews. You can't imagine how happy they make me. I mean, thanks so much to bluepenquin1998 for her amazing reviews, they really made my day, and I really, really can't wait to see more of those!**

**Trigger Warning: Depression (Please do not feel offended if I didn't write or describe it correctly)**

**Alright - enjoy! And review! **

* * *

Eva couldn't move.

Actually she could – but she had so little space. She was still disoriented, but she knew someone had wrapped her up tightly in blankets. Her head hurt a little, at some point she felt a slight burn behind her ear, her chest ached a little, but it wasn't something she wasn't too familiar with by now. However, she was very bothered by how little she could move in her blanket cocoon.

It took her a while to actually remember what happened. Her mind was blank until it wasn't, and everything before she blacked out played out in fast forward before it played out slowly in her head. That's when her head cleared out, and once she managed to get the confusion of wanting to know what had happened was cleared out, she could hear a muffled argument going on. The original reason why she'd stirred awake, possibly?

"She could've have gotten hurt, Kira!" Stiles' voice boomed as he paced around the exam room Scott's mom managed to have Eva placed in, "It's not good for her to fall!"

"I tried my best to break her fall." Kira protested, but the argument in her voice wasn't as strong as the reproach that pressed there.

"What if they'd done something to her, Kira? Don't you remember what happened when one those things got that close to Eva?" Stiles breathed out before he glanced back at Eva, who was still unconscious. Stiles was working on his homework, trying to get done with all of it quickly so he could get a chance to visit Eva and spend some time with her that day. Instead, he got a phone call from Kira, telling him exactly what had happened.

Of course Stiles had to refrain from yelling at Kira – even though he wanted to. Even though every cell in his body wanted to lament her for her poor judgment. Instead he urged Kira to take her to a hospital so he could meet them there. The doctor said she'd gotten a bit too cold, and worried that it was something with her heart, but Stiles &amp; Kira knew why she was so cold. And they needed to wait for her to warm up first before the doctor could decide whether she would leave or not.

Eventually, Eva wriggled in her blankets and frowned as she fluttered her eyes open, turning her eyes away from the light.

"Hey there." Stiles' voice fell to a soft whisper as his hand brushed her hair back, his other hand run gently over her cheek. "You're warming up, thank god." Stiles sighed, relieved, before he watched her open her eyes slowly and look up at him. "Why'd you do that?" Stiles shook his head slowly as he stroke the top of her head gently, and Eva swallowed thickly as she attempted to shrug. "You broke the promise." Stiles pointed out, and Eva felt herself heave a soft sigh.

_Eva spent the whole day getting ready for discharge. She woke up early and showered – of course, Kira &amp; Allison helped her since every move made her whole body ache. But then again, the fact that she was up and awake, breathing, while her mother was very much a pile of ash right now just seemed to form a gaping hole in Eva's chest. The pain almost became overwhelming to the extent that it left her numb._

_She heard a knock on the door and lazily lifted her gaze from the ground – a part of her feeling a sliver of comfort when she'd seen Stiles open the door and peek into the room, "Hey, girlfriend." Stiles greeted, his lips pressed into a small smile. Eva let out a small gush of air, a weak attempt of chuckle, before she winced, and Stiles sighed heavily. He walked towards the bed and sat at its edge beside her, "How are you feeling?"_

_Eva glanced sideways at Stiles and shook her head slowly, preferring to stay silence, having no energy to put up a façade or pretend that she'll be fine because she didn't actually know that._

_Stiles chewed on the corner of his mouth – he was never one to be good at offering comfort. Or at least, that's what he thought. Heck, he even hated it when people smothered him because of the panic attacks he used to get, sometimes still does get. But he sat there, not really knowing what to say or do to make Eva feel better, or even feel anything. She's been refusing to talk to any psychiatrists the hospital's sent her way, and she seemed to be having a hard time talking at all. The doctor seemed to worry that she might get depressed, and the thought alone terrified Stiles, because if she sunk that far down, he didn't know if he could help her._

"_We're going to live in the same building Allison &amp; her dad live in." Eva whispered, and Stiles' eyes flickered to her face before he nodded quickly, "Yeah…it's a bit further away from my house but I'll still come over whenever I can." Stiles started with a small smile. Of course, the idea of going back to their house was impossibility to Eva's father, as well as Eva. Allison's father had mentioned something about an apartment for rent in their building to Allison, who told Eva's father. And it seemed to work out perfectly afterwards. The apartment complex seemed to pick up a theme of teenage girls with psychopath aunts and dead mothers._

"_You don't have to do that." Eva started and shook her head as she turned to him. Stiles frowned and tilted his head some, "Don't have to do what?"_

"_Be…a supportive boyfriend." Eva shook her head slowly, "We haven't even had an official first date. You don't have to always be here."_

_Stiles blinked in surprise – is that why she thought he was around? Because he felt like he had to? "Eva…" Stiles started slowly as he turned to her and shook his head, "I care about you. I don't know why this comes as such a surprise to you but I care about you. No matter what happened. No matter what we've found out. You're still Eva Davis. You're still the girl I met that day in history class. You're still that artistic, sweet, and kind of weird person I've always known. Whatever you're going through, I'll go through it with you." Stiles babbled, quiet surprised when the words seemed to leave his lips in perfect harmony, nothing straying into his usual inappropriate remarks. _

_But when Eva didn't turn to look up at him, Stiles took a deep breath and reached down to take her hand gently in his, minding the spot where the IV used to be in, "But if you feel like…you can't do this relationship thing, that's okay. I just want to be here for you, no matter what way that is."_

_Eva pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in thought, "You don't have to decide now." Stiles started quickly, but Eva shook her head. "I know…" She started hesitantly, "This makes me sound pathetic. And it makes me out like that girl that can't survive without having a guy in her life…but…" Eva shook her head slowly, "Everything is falling apart around. I need…I need something stable. I need…an anchor." Eva glanced sideways at Stiles, and Stiles felt his heart skip a beat. _

"_I'll be whatever you need." He told her as he reached out to brush his thumb against her supple cheek gently, wiping away that stray tear. Eva nodded slowly, and Stiles smiled at her briefly, the corners of his lips tugging upwards somewhat into a gentle smile. "Thank you." Eva whispered, and Stiles could have sworn he'd seen a hint of a smile on her face, before he pulled his brows together again, "But you have to promise me something." He started, and Eva blinked, drawn out for a minute of her morose cloud into one of confusion._

"_Enough with the hospital trips, okay?" Stiles started and lifted both brows, "No more. Not even to visit Scott's mom. I don't even know why you would do that but still. Promise me, no more." Then Stiles realized what he'd just said, and his face drained of color when his eyes inspected Eva's face in concern, hoping mentioning Scott's mother didn't pour salt into her still very open wounds._

"_I promise." Eva eventually nodded slowly, and Stiles sighed, relieved, before he held her hand gently in his and ran his thumb over the back of her hand._

"I had to make sure." Eva whispered, and Stiles had to chew on his lower lip and straighten up, his hands balled into fists, so he wouldn't have another outburst at her. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Okay. We'll talk about this later." Stiles breathed out again once he'd managed to calm himself down, before he turned to Kira, "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I think you should go before Eva's dad gets here, okay?"

Kira's eyes flickered between Stiles and Eva who was still struggling to wake up, before she took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Kira," Eva whispered quickly before Kira left and she pushed herself up onto her elbows to face her friend, "Thank you."

Kira smiled briefly at Eva before she turned and left the exam room. Eva swallowed thickly before she glanced around the room and frowned, "I'm at the hospital?" She lifted a brow as she tilted her head towards Stiles, who blinked once at her scrutinizing look, and threw his arms in the air, "What if something had happened to you?!"

Eva worked on disentangling herself from the blankets, trying to wiggle out of them and sit up, "Nothing happened to me, as you can see." She breathed out, before wincing when her arm tugged too hard at a blanket. Stiles quickly hurried to help her unwrap the blankets from around her before eventually, Eva was free – with only one blanket resting over her body. Stiles heaved the others and set them on the seat in the corner of the room, before turned to Eva, "How do you feel?"

"Not as cold." She muttered as she wrapped her arms around herself, then looked up at Stiles and frowned momentarily, "I'm…sorry. But I had to do this. I had to make sure."

"Make sure of what?" Stiles inquired now, only his voice was softer, as he stepped towards the bed again. Eva peered up at him through her lashes and rolled her shoulders into a shrug. "That I didn't have her darkness in me." Eva whispered, and Stiles frowned when he recalled what Kira's mother had said back at the clinic that night. How the Oni were after whose heart became too engulfed with the darkness. Stiles realized that Kira's mother must have known that this whole ordeal was unnecessary, but when he looked down at Eva – he realized that she'd openly explained what had happened to him. He realized that….maybe this helped. Somehow.

"Does it…can…do you feel any better?" Stiles frowned a little, trying to find the right words before he settled for those. Eva shrugged a little, and Stiles reached out to brush her hair behind her ear. "Do you want to talk about it?" Stiles asked, and Eva looked up at him and shook her head slowly. However, she did say something, "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"W-what?" Stiles stuttered a little, his eyes going a bit too wide as he blinked furiously.

"I just…I don't know…." Eva started, "I'm trying to...figure out something. I don't want to be alone."

Stiles frowned as he took a deep breath as he opened his mouth to try and find a way for them to figure this out, but a knock on the door interrupted him. He glanced back when he saw Eva's father walk into the room. Stiles got up and stepped back quickly to allow the man to embrace his daughter, before he rubbed the back of his head and almost turned to leave the room.

"Stiles." Eva called out quickly as she pulled away from her dad's embrace, but Stiles frowned as he lingered by the doorway. Eva glanced sideways at her father, and deciphered the look of relief on his face, before she pursed her lips in defeat and nodded once towards Stiles. "I'll talk to you later." She whispered and Stiles smiled as he reluctantly dragged himself away from the room.

* * *

Eva was lying in her bed. The doctor had come in and checked on her, and of course, she saw Melissa lurking in the background before quickly texting someone once the doctor confirmed that Eva was fine. In the parking lot, Eva could have sworn that she'd seen Stiles jeep. But she had to shake it off and pull herself together. She could do this. She knew she was stronger than this. She'd done this before – what made it so hard now?

_The weight, _Eva thought, and frowned as she tugged the blankets around her.

She feared that at first that weight that made it so hard to breathe or even – have a clear head – was just the darkness threatening to take over her. But there was no darkness. She was herself. Except she wasn't. Something was wrong.

It took Eva a whole minute of staring at the ceiling to realize what was wrong. Her mother was dead. Her aunt possessed her. She almost died. She was at the hospital. She had a surgery. And then there was a funeral.

Eva has been through all of that before, but it all seemed to hit her now, like a tidal wave. Her chest swelled as the sobs fell upon each. other. Eva pushed herself up in the bed, her chest rising and falling with every ragged breath she took. Everything that was wrong played over and over in her head. Eva's hands shaking moved over her face, covering her mouth as she shut her eyes tightly, and the sobs fell through. They wracked through her weakened frame, and Eva gasped audibly for breath before she reached for the pillow to prop it up against her knees and bury her face into it. Amongst all the grief and pain that seemed to suddenly take her by surprise after so subtly just building up inside her heart, Eva was scared. No, she was terrified. This feeling loomed about her that it wasn't the end yet.

She pushed the pillow away, and reached for her phone from the nightstand. Eva tried to stifle her whimpers as she dialed Stiles' number and held the phone up to her ear.

Stiles' was lying face down on the bed, his eyes facing the clear wall opposite from his bed. It had been a while since Stiles had any case files hanging up there – after what happened with Eva, he'd taken it all down. All of those people were victims of what her aunt did, and he knew she didn't need any reminders of that.

As if on cue, his phone buzzed against the nightstand, and Stiles frowned as he propelled himself up onto his elbow to reach out for his phone. He didn't hesitate to pick up when he saw Eva's name on the screen, and he pushed himself up. A frown etched its way onto his face when he heard the little gasps of breath, "Eva?"

"Stiles, can you come over?" Eva whimpered into the phone, and Stiles sat up quickly, his feet swinging over the edge of the bed. "Eva, what is it?"

"I just…Can you please come over?" Eva started again, her words being cut off with her gasps and sniffles, "I need to…I need to see my mom. I-I want to visit the lake."

Stiles blinked in confusion before he nodded slowly, then realized that she couldn't see him and started, "Of course. I'll be there as fast as I can. But can you please tell me what's wrong?"

"I just…I miss her." Eva whispered and Stiles felt his heart break a little before he heaved a sigh and started, "I'll be there in a minute."

Stiles reluctantly hung up and took a deep breath before he got up and glanced around his room. He looked down at himself and decided that he only needed a hoodie and sneakers and he was good to go. He didn't want to waste time, anyways. He grabbed his keys &amp; phone before heading downstairs as quietly as he possibly could, and with surprising success managed to leave the house. Stiles looked down at his phone again and lifted both brows when he realized it was half past midnight.

It was one of those moments when he just wished his jeep could be slightly less loud. He parked in front of the apartment complex, not really minding the parking line since they were supposed to leave quickly. He called Eva again to tell her he was downstairs, expecting to meet her by the door, except she'd buzzed him in. Stiles frowned and glanced around momentarily before he hesitantly climbed out of the jeep and walked into the building.

After a short trip in the elevator to the floor Eva was on, he was surprised, and momentarily terrified, when he saw her peeking around the front door, waiting for him. "Hey…" He whispered as he stepped towards her just as she slid out of the apartment and closed the door. Stiles gazed down at her in the darkness, his eyes taking in every detail of her tear-stricken face. "What happened?"

"Everything's wrong." Eva whispered and shook her head slowly, "Everything's wrong and my mom is not here. She's dead." Eva had to refrain from talking anymore when she felt the sobs threatening to break through her lips again. Stiles quickly stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her, "Ssh, hey, it's okay." He whispered quickly as his hands moved gently over her back, "We'll go see your mom now, okay?"

"Mhm." Eva nodded slowly and sniffled, and Stiles quietly led her out of the building and into the jeep.

Eva curled up into the seat all the way to the reserve's trail. Stiles glanced sideways at her every now and then but she made no noise, not an attempt to speak, and it hit Stiles that she didn't call him to talk, or to tell him how she felt. She wasn't getting better. She was getting worse. Stiles' eyes drifted to the windshield as they arrived towards the small lake's shore, and he turned to Eva. Her eyes had drifted too to the windshield, her eyes flickering over the waters of the lake glimmering underneath the crescent moon in the sky, before her hands reached for the door's handle and she started getting out.

Stiles followed after Eva quietly as she stumbled towards the lake's shore. He expected her to stop, but she didn't, she moved until she was ankle deep into the water, and he quickly took action, "Eva," He started as he stepped towards the lake's shore as well, his eyes flickering down to surface of the water that teased at the tips of his shoes.

"I won't go any deeper." Eva started, "I can't swim. Don't worry."

The new piece of information surprised Stiles, just as much as learning that Eva's name was actually Evangeline from her hospital records. However, knowing that she couldn't swim didn't make Stiles feel any better. "Well can you at least step back a little." Stiles started hesitantly, "I would really feel better if you're not actually in the water."

"I miss her so much." Eva whispered as her eyes drifted down to the water, almost as black as night with the soft glimmer of the crescent moon reflecting off the clear water. "I just…" Eva's voice cracked audibly, and Stiles stood there, not really knowing what to do as he watched her wrap her arms around herself. "Everything's wrong. Everything is…just…I miss her so much." She finally broke into the sobs again, and Stiles ventured into the water. He let his arm hover around her back, before he eventually sighed when she turned into him to bury her face into his chest, "I want my mom, Stiles."

Stiles felt his eyes well up with tears, before he enclosed Eva's petite frame into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. He had nothing to offer her. There was nothing that he could say that could comfort her. He recalled the time he'd spent after his mother died. The nightmares, walking up and calling out for his mother before eventually crumbling into a mess – and he said those exact same words. _I want my mom._

"I know." Stiles whispered helplessly as he closed his eyes and rubbed her back. "I know."


	4. Cold Is The Water

**A/N: **

**I know, I know. I'm a horrible person for taking so long to update - but in the event that I have recently became part of an actual social life, I've been very busy. But no worries, no school or life will take me away from this story. I love it to much to give it up or stop posting anyways. Now, back to the topic of reviews - they really, really help. Constructive criticism. Compliments. Fangirling. Just holler them at me, I'll take anything. And as for the criticisim, I want to remind people that Under My Skin was completely plotted out by a friend of mine and myself before I even wrote it, and The Darkness Among Us is all me, so, no I'm not ripping off LionHeartMisfit's story. Her story is great, but I wouldn't steal it because that is just horrible, and there is no comparison between our stories seeing as they start at different seasons and take completely different turns of events. So while I would appreciate criticism, I will not accept bashing that doesn't even make sense. I know all my readers are awesome, but I felt like I needed to write this out after I got this review on Under My Skin that really got to me.**

**But you guys are awesome and I love all of you. I'll do my best to update faster, but if I don't, know that I will update eventually. **

**Trigger Warning: Depression, Suicide.**

* * *

"I still don't think this is a good idea." Stiles mumbled under his breath as he threw his bag into the backseat of the jeep. Scott frowned as he stood beside him, not really capable of finding the best words to console his friend or even convince him – since Scott wasn't very convinced either with the idea. But Lydia said it was a good idea. And when Lydia wanted something, Lydia got that something.

"I mean, she suddenly decided she's coming back to school next week. Don't you think that taking her to that party is a bit too much for her to handle right now?" Stiles asked as he slammed the door shut and flinched a little at the harshness he used with his jeep, his hand moving over the door to pat it gently. Scott lifted a brow before he turned his attention to Stiles' face again, "Maybe she thinks she's ready?" He offered, and frowned when Stiles sent him a glare.

"I'm telling you, this is the last thing she'd be ready for." Stiles muttered under his breath as he leaned against the jeep. "You should have seen her at the lake the other day...It's just..." Stiles shook his head once as his eyes drifted to the ground, "She was so broken and I didn't know how to help. I didn't even know how I could help. All I could do is let her cry until she got tired, then I drove her home."

Scott chewed at the inside of his cheek, his thumbs moving along the undersides of his shoulder straps before he took a deep breath, "You have to give her some space to figure herself out, Stiles. That's what I did when you…when your mom died. It's not easy."

"I know it's not. But that's not her mom just being gone from her life, Scott." Stiles started as he looked up at his friend, "It's Eva actually being there. Because I remember when she'd woken up in that ambulance, the first thing I saw on her face was…she knew her mother was dead." Stiles shook his head slowly, "And she saw it again. I had to literally peel her off the ground and away from the hallway. But the sight of that, it's an image that will haunt you for life."

Scott nodded once in understanding. He knew what Stiles was coming from, or at least he had an inkling of what he meant. Scott recalled clearly the time he walked in and saw the kanima's tail wrapped around his mother's neck. He remembered it too vividly for his own liking, and he'd sworn from then on to protect his mother from the supernatural world no matter what it took. But that wasn't easy. He knew it wasn't. And just the thought of losing his mother to something supernatural made Scott want to throw up – so he didn't think about it. And he couldn't even start to imagine what must be going on in Eva's mind.

Scott too wanted to help Eva. She was important to Stiles, and Scott really saw her as a good person. Even a friend, despite the fact that he'd never gotten the chance to hang out with her much. And technically, she was part of his pack as well. Scott just felt somewhat helpless, as he usually feels all the time now.

"Maybe it is a good idea, Stiles, who knows." Scott shrugged again as he looked up at Stiles, a surrendering look in his eyes. Neither of them had a better way to help, so they went with Lydia's way. "Did you get her a gift?" Scott tried to change the subject, and Stiles looked up at him, before he pursed his lips and nodded somewhat excitedly. Scott remembered when Stiles used to spend hours at Macy's trying to pick something for Lydia, but whenever Stiles went to go get something for Eva, he knew just _exactly _what she might like, and it made Scott somewhat proud of his friend.

"I got her this pastel colors kit. She used to tell me about how she only used them once or twice and how fun they were cause they were like chalk and they reminded her of messing around when she was a kid, and I really want something that brings back good memories, right?" Stiles started to ramble on and Scott nodded quickly, then Stiles turned to him, "What did you get?"

"Uh…" Scott started and blinked as he reached to scratch the back of his head, "I was going to go to the mall today?" Scott offered, and Stiles stared agape at him, before he shook his head in disbelief. "Well, what were you going to buy?"

"I don't know…" Scott muttered to himself as his eyes drifted to the ground, and Stiles shook his head once. "You know…I think Eva will need a new sketchbook for the pastel colors I got." Stiles pointed out, and Scott lifted a brow, "You could just give her that." Scott took a deep breath, "I guess that's a good idea." Scott nodded once, before he took a deep breath. "So I'll go look for it?" Scott started hesitantly and lifted a brow, but Stiles rolled his eyes, "No, I already bought it." Stiles told him with a grin as he clapped his hand on his back, "Okay, I have to go home now and get ready since I'm picking Eva up for the party anyways. I'll see you there?" Stiles nodded once as he patted his hand over Scott's shoulder and got into the jeep.

Scott pursed his lips thoughtfully, thinking of what else he could possibly give Eva as he got onto his dirt bike.

* * *

Allison had stopped by Eva's place with the dress that Lydia had picked out for her. Eva sat on the bed, legs crossed underneath her with the curlers in her hair. She'd agreed to attend the party Lydia was throwing for her at her lake house – but she didn't know exactly why she did that. Eva wasn't even sure of half the words that left her lips nowadays. It was like she watched herself speak and react with everyone around her. And she didn't even give off much emotion, just the occasional huff of a laugh, or the small nods and head shaking. But that was pretty much it.

"And here it is." Allison smiled as she hung the dress against Eva's wardrobe and revealed it. Eva blinked once and tilted her head, before she flickered her eyes towards Allison's face and she lifted a brow. The dress was pretty – normal. Really, very normal. Not too formal, or too party, it almost looked like an everyday dress.

"If you don't like it you can wear whatever makes you comfortable, you know." Allison pointed out quickly, "It's going to be just us, you know. And we'll just have to tell Lydia that it didn't fit you or something." Allison added encouragingly, and Eva smiled a bit as she shook her head. "The dress is really beautiful." Eva nodded once as she untangled her legs to swing them over the edge of the bed and get up. The physical ache from her healing incision was barely even there – almost gone, perfectly healed. But Eva still felt the pressure and the weight, and it always made it harder to even get up, but she did.

"I guess I wasn't expecting Lydia to pick out something so….normal." Eva pointed out and Allison laughed a little as she stepped forward to help Eva stand up, "It's fine." Eva told her as she held her hands up and straightened up, "I'm fine."

Allison pursed her lips curiously as she watched Eva step forward towards her bed, her eyes scanning the girl's posture just in case she was lying, but the only thing she noticed was how insanely smaller Eva had gotten. "The incision doesn't hurt anymore?" Allison wondered out loud and looked up at Eva, who glanced sideways at her and nodded once with a brief smile. "Yeah, and the doctor said it was healing great. Just about time. I really needed to get back to school." Eva mumbled as she pulled the dress out of the hanger and held it up in front of her.

"So you're ready to go back to school?" Allison asked as she leaned against the wardrobe, and Eva turned to her, before she shrugged, "I don't know. But I can't miss anymore."

"The whole town knows it's your aunt that killed all those people before. Going back to school won't be easy. I know." Allison started, and Eva's eyes flickered up to Allison's face. Allison chewed on the inside of her cheek before she decided to just tell her, "When they discovered that my aunt Kate was the one who caused the Hale fire, I was treated as if I was a psychopath around the school. No one made it easy. Especially when my dad and grandfather insisted we have a public funeral."

Eva stared at Allison silently as she spoke, before she moved back to sit at the edge of the bed again, laying the dress beside her, "But I had Scott at the time." Allison started, "He made it easier. So just…" Allison smiled softly at Eva, "Let Stiles in. Let him be there for you."

"But what if I don't know how?" Eva asked and tilted her head, "What if I don't know how to let people in?" Eva muttered as her eyes drifted to the ground, and Allison frowned a little. "That's for you to figure out." Allison whispered, "But you will. I know you will." Allison smiled at her again encouragingly before she stepped towards the door, "I'm going to get ready, okay?"

Eva breathed out and nodded at Allison, nodding when the girl waved briefly a she closed the door and left. Eva's eyes drifted sideways to the dress that lay on the bed and she took a deep breath. She had to figure it out – somehow. Eva stood up and stepped towards the mirror, staring at herself. She looked…different. Eva met her own reflection's gaze and frowned. She needed to figure it out, and she couldn't possibly figure it out looking like this. Eva's hand reached for the makeup bag that rested untouched on her new dresser for a while now, before she took a deep breath and looked up at the mirror. She remembered what Lydia had said that day, that maybe looking better will make her feel better.

Maybe.

After almost an hour of applying makeup, extricating the curlers from her hair, and finally actually getting into the dress and finding fitting accessories, Eva stared at herself in the mirror. She looked almost like her normal self. Almost – her eyes drifted downward to the dress that didn't exactly hug her torso like it was supposed it. Eva smoothed her hands over the air gaps between the dress and her body, and frowned as her eyes turned to the mirror again. She did lose a lot of weight. Eva had to step back and take a good look at herself, before she heard the doorbell ring. Eva stole one last glance at her reflection before she headed out of the room towards the front door. Eva peered through the magic eye and smiled a little when she saw Stiles, and she stepped back to open the door for him.

Stiles' eyes immediately drifted to Eva's figure when she opened the door, and he felt his heart skip a beat momentarily. It has been a while since he'd seen Eva look this…normal. Or this okay, and the idea of her looking _okay _so soon actually worried him, but he couldn't help the words the left his lips, "You look beautiful." Stiles breathed out, and Eva smiled a bit at him, before she stepped aside to hold the door open for him, "Come in. My dad is at work. I'll just grab my bag and then we can leave." Eva told him, and Stiles nodded slowly as he walked in and closed the door, watching after her as she headed back to her room.

When Eva had reappeared, she was wearing a leather jacket over her dress and had a small bag draped over her shoulder with her phone in her hand. Stiles took a deep breath, "Did you take your medicine?" He asked first, and Eva gave him a look, "I'll take it when I get home. It's barely even night time." Eva pointed out to the sun still setting outside."

Stiles felt the words burning on the tip of his tongue and he knew he just had to say them, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Eva. I know a party is too soon and-"

"It's not a party. It's a gathering." Eva corrected, "It's just us. I hardly call that a party."

"But…" Stiles started hesitantly, "Do...you feel like celebrating your birthday?"

Eva pressed her lips into a small smile, "I'm not celebrating anything…You guys are." Eva whispered, before she stepped past him towards the door to open it, and that's when Stiles knew this attempt to help Eva feel better, or anything at all, was going to be futile. Stiles breathed out a heavy sigh before he followed her outside.

* * *

The trip to the lake house wasn't exactly a long one, but since it was through the reserve and Stiles needed to make sure everyone was there when they got there; he stalled on his way. Eva's eyes were staring aimlessly at the sky, the crescent moon still waning into a new moon. Eva's eyes drifted sideways to Stiles, watching him as he drove in silence, the only sound was the soft, quiet music that eluded from the radio.

She remembered what Allison said, about letting Stiles in to make it easier for herself. But could she really do that? Because from where she sat, reaching out to Stiles was as if she had to run a thousand miles, and she was chained to the ground. Eva's eyes flickered to the windshield as they approached the lake house, and she saw the house lit inside and smiled briefly. She could at least pretend to enjoy her time for their sake.

"We're here." Stiles muttered as he glanced sideways at Eva and smiled at her, "You ready?"

"It's just a party." Eva shrugged as she sat up and reached for the door's handle.

"It's not a party, it's a gathering." Stiles couldn't help the quick answer before it left his mouth, and Eva narrowed her eyes as Stiles saw the hint of his Eva there momentarily. "You're a smartass." Eva pointed out with a small smile as she pushed open the door and started to get out. Stiles grinned to himself before he reached for the gift bags from the backseat and hurried out of the jeep to meet Eva by the entrance, reaching out for her hand.

Eva's eyes flickered to Stiles' hand, and she hesitated a little, before she placed her hand in his, and looked up at him – his smile only making her smile a little. Stiles blinked in surprise – maybe this was a good idea after all. Somehow.

Stiles reached out to knock the door, and looked down at Eva just as Lydia opened the door, "I knew the dress would look perfect on you." Lydia started with a grin before she stepped aside to let them in. Eva took a deep breath as she walked in and let Lydia close the door before they followed her towards the dining room.

Everyone was there – Scott, Kira, Allison, Isaac, and even the twins. They were all standing around the table with smiles plastered on their faces, genuine smiles. The table was decorated with the cake in the middle and all the other little things they could eat along with around it. "You guys didn't have to do all of this." Eva started as she glanced sideways at Lydia, who shrugged once and went to stand beside Aiden.

"Alright then." Stiles smiled at Eva before he reached for the matches and lit the candles on the cake. Eva tiled her head as she stared down at the flickering flames of the candles, momentarily she lost her train of thought just by looking at them, before she was brought back to present when she heard the unison singing around her. Eva felt the tears well up in her eyes before she took in a deep breath towards the end of the song and leaned down to blow out the candles.

"Did you make a wish?" Kira asked excitedly, and Eva smiled a little at her, before she nodded once, "I made a wish." Eva breathed out before she looked up at Stiles.

The music started playing after everyone grabbed their own plate, the small living room turning into a dance floor where Lydia and Aiden danced, and soon where joined by Allison and Isaac. Eva watched her friends talk and laugh, and the sight brought a small smile to her face. She felt, maybe even for a fraction of a second that the weight wasn't there – because for once she saw her friends happy because of something that she did.

She glanced back and tilted her head when she saw Kira and Scott talking in the corner by the dining table, before she turned forward and moved towards the back door that led towards the boat house. Eva's eyes flickered to the sky as she walked towards one of the wooden pillars by the boathouse, and she glanced back when she heard someone's footsteps. Stiles came to stand beside her and smiled, "You did them a great favor by coming out tonight." Stiles started as he glanced back at the house, and Eva pursed her lips as she nodded again. "They needed it."

"What about you?" Stiles asked as he looked down at her, "Don't you need it?"

Eva shrugged as her eyes drifted down to the water, "I don't know. Do I?"

"You really want to know what I think?" Stiles started as he looked down at her, and Eva nodded slowly, even though she didn't look up at him. "I think you should give yourself a chance. You should forgive yourself because if you let the guilt eat you up as well as the pain of losing someone…" Stiles let his voice trail off, and Eva tilted her head upwards to look at him.

"But I can't." Eva started slowly, "I can't do anything. I want to…I really do, but I can't."

Stiles frowned and reached out to brush his fingers against her wrist, urging her to talk to him. Eva took a deep breath before she started, "Whenever I start to think that I should try to do something my mom would want me to do…I feel this…weight…pull me down. It's like a sadness that won't let breathe." Eva whispered, "It's like I'm drowning." She eventually concluded and looked up at Stiles, who frowned and then turned to her. "You know that I'll pull you out if you give me the chance, right?"

Eva smiled and nodded once, "I know. I'll try."

"That's all I need." Stiles nodded once and reached down to brush a few stray tendrils out of her face. "I'll go get you something to eat, okay? You haven't eaten your own cake." Stiles told her and lifted both brows at her to dare her to argue, "You said you'd try."

"Fine." Eva breathed out and smiled briefly as she watched him leave. Eva's eyes flickered down to the lake's waters again, and she pulled her brows into a frown. It did feel like she was drowning. Her eyes flickered off the shimmering surface of the water as she found herself stepping forward, the tips of her boots peeking over the edge of the wooden pier.

*******Eva didn't know what was driving her to do this – maybe it was the urge to feel it again, what it felt like to drown. So she could feel what it was like to break into the surface and breathe again. Or at least, that's what she hoped would happen. She after all couldn't swim, and someone would have to notice she was doing this. But would it be really so bad if someone didn't notice? Either way, it would benefit the girl. She'd either feel better or feel nothing at all.

With that thought in mind, Eva stepped forward into the air, lifting her head so her eyes could gaze at the starry night for one last time - and she let herself fall into the water.

She didn't feel the sting of the icy water until after a few second of being in it. It felt like little explosives were going off on her skin, numbing every inch of her. Eva let her arms float by her side, opening her eyes slowly, staring off into the darkness of the lake. She didn't even realize how deep the lake was where she jumped until she dared to look up, and saw the surface getting so much far away than what she would have wanted it to be.

Eva felt the panic fill her heart as well as the burning ignited within her chest. Her head started to ache as she sunk into the water. Eva suddenly realized that she did want to break through the surface – she _wanted_ to get out of the water. She _wanted_ to get better. The burning in her chest pressing against her lungs, forcing her to keep her mouth closed, to refuse the water. Both that and the pain in her head knocked the truth back into her. She didn't want to die just yet. It was _not _her time.

Before her eyes, in the dark water, little snippets of her life played out – memories flashing back to her, begging her to push herself up to the surface. The happy memories she'd had as a child with her family. The ones she made when she moved back to Beacon Hills. Then there were the bad ones too, the ones she tried to so hard to push back and not ever remember again. The memories of watching as her aunt killed her mother – her aunt did it, not Eva. Julia. And Eva was letting Julia win, proving that she was that girl she spoke of to her mother before she killed her.

But Eva wasn't that weak girl. And even if she was, now, she didn't want to be that weak girl anymore.

Frantically, Eva started struggling to get to the surface, trying to put all the pointers from the failed swimming lessons to use. But the boots on her feet made the effect of kicking against the water less effective, and she was still weak. She couldn't do it. Eva pushed her limbs against the water in an attempt to push her body upward, but the air she had held in ran out, and her lips parted – the last thing Eva saw were the bubbles rising above her head as her body relaxed into the cold water.

* * *

Scott was just coming out of the lake house when Stiles walked, "Hey, where's Eva? I wanted to talk to her." Scott asked, and Stiles poked his thumb over his shoulder, "She's by the boathouse. I was just about to go get her something to eat." Stiles answered as he moved past Scott into the house.

"Uh, Stiles," Scott called out as he glanced back at Stiles, still holding the door open. "She's not by the boathouse."

"What?" Stiles frowned as he stepped towards the door again, "I just left her there; we were just talking." Stiles started as he stepped out of the backdoor again and there momentarily, his eyes moving over the pier, searching for Eva's figure. "I just left her ther-"

That was when it hit Stiles, _It's like I'm drowning._

"She's in the water." Stiles breathed out, his blood running cold in his veins.

"What?" Scott turned to his friend, eyes wide.

"She's…She's in the water, damn it!" Stiles cried out as he pushed past Scott towards the pier, managing to empty his pockets before he looked down at the water, hoping to see something, anything. And he did see something – bubbles, and a silhouette growing smaller. Stiles didn't even hesitate. He took a deep breath, held it in, and jumped into the water.

It wasn't cold, but it was enough to make someone curl up and not want to move. But Stiles didn't have time to dwell on the water's temperature. Despite Stiles' panic, he refrained from thrashing against the water, but dove in after the silhouette until he made out the top of Eva's head. He kicked himself deeper until he wrap his arm around her torso and pull her with him as he kicked his feet and pushed his free arm against the water until he finally broke through the surface.

"Eva, Eva, come on…" Stiles gasped as he held her up, her head lolling back onto his shoulder. His eyes flickered to the pier where Scott leaned down, holding his arms downward to pull Eva onto the pier. Stiles moved in the water with difficulty, but he managed to keep them both above the surface and lifted Eva up so Scott could grab her and pulled her up.

Kira had heard Stiles when he ran towards the water, so she was kneeling beside Scott as he slowly pulled Eva's unconscious body onto the pier. He turned to help Stiles up onto the wooden ledge as Kira hovered around her friend helplessly. Stiles on the other hand moved quickly to her other side, "Eva, come on, don't do this…" He muttered as he pressed his hands on her chest, trying his best to remember how to pace the compressions. "Come on, Eva. Don't do this to me again. Don't do this to me again." Stiles kept on whispered on and on as he felt his eyes well up with tears, before his eyes flickered to her lips, and he tilted her chin up, gentling holding her nose as he leaned down to press his lips to cold ones.

Stiles blew the air into her mouth and pulled back, and just as he did, Eva coughed out the water, tilted her head sideways. Stiles hurried to help her sit up so she could breathe, his hands moving to hold the tops of her arms, "Just breathe, Eva. Just breathe, I'm here. Just breathe." He begged her as she gasped for breath, before with shaking hands she wiped the water from her eyes and coughed into her hands. Stiles watched as she managed to clear her airways and push her hair out of her face to finally open her eyes to look up at him.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, the first words that ever occurred to her to say, "I'm so sorry." Eva whimpered as she leaned her head into Stiles chest and wrapped her arms around his torso to hold onto him, and Stiles breathed out as he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her tightly, pulling her into his chest. His hand moved to back of her head, holding her close, his other hand wrapped around her torso. Stiles pressed his lips to her temple before he tucked her head underneath his chin and looked up to flicker his gaze between a relieved Kira and a concerned Scott, before he closed his eyes again.


	5. Step By Tiny Step

**A/N:**

**Well it's been ages - I'm so sorry for my delayed reply. Not only did I get busy with school, but just as I started making the gif's for this chapter, tumblr rolled out the new update and I lost motivation for making anything. But now I've gotten back my motivation and I'm determined to try and keep my updates somewhat regular. And honestly, the one thing that comforts me is the fact that the stats say the story's been viewed. I won't ask for reviews but they would be great, honestly. I don't mind them at all. But thank you, so so much bluepenquin1998, your reviews do make my day!**

**Trigger Warning: Depression, Suicide.**

**Enjoy this chappie! Many surprises to come ahead, my lovelies.**

* * *

"I'm glad you finally decided to talk to someone. I'm surprised you picked me, though."

Eva flickered her eyes from the name framed on the desk, before she looked up at Mrs. Morrell, "You're the only person I can talk to. Really talk to." Eva mumbled as she glanced around the office. Marin's eyes also moved around the office she worked in at Eichen House, before her eyes moved down to Eva's face again, "Tell me what happened. What changed your mind?"

Eva licked her lips and looked down at the ground again, her mind recalling the night of her birthday party – fairly two nights ago.

_Eva sat in front of the fireplace in the lake house's living room, a couple of blankets wrapped around her. She stared at the flames dancing before her eyes, before she took a deep breath and pursed her lips. It was gone. The weight was gone. It worked._

_Eva looked up when she heard someone walk in, half expecting it to be Stiles, now having warmed up enough under the hot shower to talk to her. But it wasn't. Scott slowly sat down beside her on the floor and glanced sideways at her. Eva stared at him for a long moment, before Scott finally started, "Did it help?"_

"_What?" Eva frowned, not expecting that to be the first question to leave Scott's lips._

"_Did it help? Almost drowning? Did it change anything?" Scott asked again, before he lifted both brows, "You jumped, right? You didn't fall."_

_Eva's eyes drifted back to the fire and she nodded slowly, "I jumped, yeah."_

_Scott remained silent, not persisting or asking his question again, but when Eva turned to him again, she saw the curiosity still in his eyes. Eva chewed at the inside of her cheek before she nodded slowly, "It did something."_

"_Not what you wanted it to do?" Scott inquired, tilting his head._

"_No, not really" Eva shook her head slowly, before she turned to Scott again and sighed, "I'm sorry."_

"_It's…I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Scott admitted as he turned his gaze to the fire. _

_Eva frowned before she turned her gaze to the flames as well, "Is he upset?"_

"_He's shaken up." Scott started, "It really was like that other night for him, and Stiles really does care about you. You can't do this to him, Eva." Eva glanced sideways at Scott when she heard the protective tone in Scott's voice, "Stiles is like a brother to me, and I would do anything for him, even if it's to talk to his girlfriend that almost died and tell her what he's too worried or too scared to tell her."_

_Eva blinked slowly before she nodded once, her gaze turning solemn. "I'm going to get better."_

"_I really hope you do." Scott smiled briefly, "But just in case, I wanted to give you the present I got for you."_

_Eva looked up at Scott curiously as he pulled his phone out of pocket and started typing. When he was done, he turned to Eva and took a deep breath, "I just texted you my mom's number. My mom has been…so amazing with all of this. And she's been a mom to me, and Stiles, and Allison, and Isaac…and she can be for you too." Scott mumbled, "So I talked to her. And she's here for you. Whatever you need." Scott smiled briefly at Eva, and the girl felt her eyes well up a little._

"_Can I hug you?" Eva inquired, and Scott laughed a little as he scooted closer to her to wrap his arms around her, "You're part of my family now, okay?" Scott started as he squeezed her frame once before he pulled away and stood up. "Whatever you need."_

_Eva nodded slowly, and watched as he walked back into the hallway. It was only a few minutes after that Stiles walked in with a blanket draped over his shoulders as well, and two mugs of something hot in his hands. Stiles plopped down beside Eva on the ground and held the mug out to her. Eva reached out to take the mug slowly, her eyes flickering up to his face, meeting his gaze. "I'm really sorry, Stiles."_

"_Don't apologize." Stiles shook his head once, "I shouldn't have left you by the lake alone anyways. I should have known better."_

_Eva frowned, "How could you have known better, Stiles?"_

"_Because…Because your mom's ashes in a lake…I just figured…" Stiles stuttered, his voice trailing away, and Eva sighed a little, "That I'd want to be with her?" She finished for him, and Stiles looked up, nodding slowly. "I didn't jump into the lake to drown." _

"_But you can't swim. You told me you couldn't swim." Stiles started, pulling his brows into a frown as he tilted his head and turned on his hunches to face her. Eva held the mug between her hands and brought it up to her lips, blowing into the hot chocolate and sipping a little at it. Stiles waited for her patiently, he too sipping at his drink. Eva finally lowered the mug and turned to Stiles, "I guess I was just…Trying to get rid of the feeling."_

"_The feeling that you were drowning?" Stiles asked, and Eva nodded slowly. "Did it work?"_

"_I don't feel it anymore." Eva shrugged once, and Stiles pursed his lips. "Is that a good thing?"_

"_Well I won't be throwing myself into lakes or pools anytime soon." Eva joked, and Stiles gave her a look, which made Eva realize that it wasn't a topic to joke about. And Eva realized she'd often used the dark humor to avoid the questions lately. "I guess it is. I know one thing for sure now."_

"_What is it?" Stiles asked, and Eva turned to him, taking a deep breath, "I'm going to talk to someone." Eva started, "I really want to get better. So I'm going to talk to someone."_

_Stiles' face lit up some as he scooted closer to her, "Are you serious?"_

_Eva nodded slowly and felt a small smile stretch onto her lips. Stiles breathed out a relieved sigh before he lifted his arm to bring his blanket around Eva's shoulders and pull her into his chest so they could both warm up by the fire, and for the first time things seemed to start to brighten up for the both of them, or at least Eva hoped they will._

"I almost drowned." Eva muttered, "I mean, I jumped into the water. But I didn't jump to like…kill myself." Eva looked up at Mrs. Morrell who took a deep breath and started, "Then why did you jump?"

"I guess….I guess I was trying feel something." Eva started and shrugged a little, "Ever since what happened, what happened with my mom, what my aunt did…I've just not been feeling myself. I felt like I was watching myself wither away and I couldn't do anything about it because I felt so numb." Eva explained as she looked up at the woman again, who nodded slowly.

"Is there anything specific that you were hoping to…feel?" Marin asked, and Eva blinked slowly as she tried to find the right words to describe it, "I guess…I guess I wanted to feel alive."

"And did you?"

"No," Eva shook her head slowly, "But I know now that I want to."

"How are you going to do that? Feel alive?" Marin asked as she swayed her chair swayed, propping her elbows on the armrest and locking her fingers together.

"I'm going to work on everything else that I feel. I mean, that's what I'm here for, right?" Eva asked, and Marin smiled at her, nodding slowly. "Right. So what did you want to talk about first?"

It was a two hour long session of continuous conversation between the two. Eva was surprised at the amount of comfort it brought her to talk about all of this, but when eventually it was over and Eva had to leave, Eva was relieved as well.

She walked through the hallways of the old sanitarium. She didn't know much about the place but she knew it had been standing here for a very long time. Eva's eyes drifted sideways to the wide rooms that had circles of chairs in them, patients sitting on the chairs and one counselor. Group therapies. Eva was uneasy about coming to Eichen House for her sessions but it was where Mrs. Morrell was called therapist. At school she'd be just a counselor, and that wouldn't help at all, especially now that she's got a very short prescription of anti-depressant that a school counselor can't prescribe.

Eva decided to take the outside route to the lobby – really needing the fresh air before she had to go and sit in the cooped up lobby. She watched the patients dressed in a uniform of grey-ish sweatpants and dark blue shirts, either long or short sleeved. She walked silently, her eyes observing the environment provided for these people – and she felt bad for them. The world saw them as mentally ill, not fit to live with normal people, and threw them in this place to _treat_ them.

"It's miserable isn't it?"

Eva snapped her head forward to one of the patients standing in front of her, and out of instinct she stepped back briefly and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry?"

"It's a miserable place." The boy said, and Eva blinked as her eyes flickered up to his – and she stood there, trying to read him. She didn't really get much, but he stood normal, and talked normal. His clothes were the only inkling that he's a patient in this place. "Don't worry, I'm not crazy." He smiled at her, and Eva felt herself instinctively smile, an alarming sense of familiarity dawning onto her when she saw his smile. "My name's Daniel."

"Eva." She nodded once, her hands reaching to hold onto the straps of her bag on her shoulder. She glanced around, biting onto her lip curiously before she looked up at him again, "You don't look…you know."

"Crazy?' He offered to finish off her sentence, and Eva shrugged once. "Well, it's a long story. Don't let me bore you." He shrugged once, and Eva pursed her lips, nodding slowly, "What about you?"

"Me?" Eva blinked once, surprised at his curiosity, before she shook her head slowly as her brain tried to make up words to explain to this stranger, before she frowned – she didn't need to explain herself to him. She barely even knew him. "I was...I'm having my session with one of therapists here." She nodded once and pursed her lips.

"So, you're crazy." He concluded, and Eva lifted a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest, "No, I'm not."

"I saw you leave Morrell's office. Only the really messed up ones talk to her." Daniel shrugged and an overwhelmingly cocky smirk tugged at the corners of his lips that replaced any fondness Eva had for the guy with irritation. "You're one to talk." Eva pressed and shook her head once as she moved past him, but was surprised when he reached out and caught her wrist.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly when Eva turned around to look at him, and Eva took a deep breath to start and brush it off – but one of the nurse pulled her back as the others tasered Daniel to the ground, "He didn't do anything!" Eva cried out when the nurse stepped in front of her to shield her from absolutely nothing, but the one with the tazer looked up at her, "What are you doing here? Out patients are not allowed on the grounds." He barked, and Eva flinched as she stepped back.

The nurse who'd pulled her away turned to her with an apologetic expression on his face, "I'm sorry about him. Come on, let's get you to the lobby, okay?" Eva looked back at Daniel, twisting and turning on the ground, before she looked up at the nurse and started, "He really didn't do anything."

The man sighed, "That's not for me to decide. Just come with me. You really shouldn't be on the grounds." He told her. Eva's eyes flickered to the name tag on his chest that read Cole, then she looked up at him again and nodded slowly, letting him lead her back into building. "What was wrong with him anyways?" Eva asked as she looked up at him, and Cole shook his head once, flashing her another apologetic smile, "That's patient information that I can't disclose."

"I'm technically a patient, right?" Eva asked as she lifted a brow, and Cole shook his head once, "Let's just say he's had a rough childhood and he's been kicked out of so many foster homes that no other place would take him except here."

"That bad?" Eva frowned as she looked back again, "He really looks sane to me."

"Those are the ones that are the most insane." Cole pointed out, and Eva blinked slowly as she took in his words and nodded, "Here we are." Cole announced once they'd gotten to the lobby, "Please don't wander inside this place on your own again. It could be really dangerous."

Eva smiled and nodded once at the man, "I won't. Thank you." She offered genuinely, "I'm Eva, by the way." She started, and Cole smiled, "And I'm Cole." He told her before the beeper on his side went off, and he looked up at her apologetically before he turned to leave. Eva turned back to the main doors and took a deep breath before she dug through her bag and retrieved her phone. Eva frowned a little when her eyes went over the notifications she had, one of which being a text message from her father saying that he couldn't pick her up and that Stiles will. The other one was a text message from Stiles saying that Derek was going to pick her up.

And indeed, when she looked up, she saw Derek leaned against his black Camaro across the street. Eva pulled her brows into a frown before she approached him slowly, "Why are you picking me up?" She asked quietly, hesitantly, and Derek looked down at her before he took a deep breath, "I never got a chance to offer you my condolences." He eventually sighed, and Eva blinked in surprise.

"I…realize that I misjudged you. And you lost almost everything, almost like I did." Derek started, his gaze on the floor before he took a deep breath, "I'm here for something else. Something that might help you."

"You have something that might help me?" Eva questioned and lifted both brows in surprise. Derek gave her a look before he stepped aside and opened the passenger side's door, "Will you just get in and trust me?"

Eva stared at him for a long moment before she eventually slid into the car, sinking into the leather seat that made her look a thousand times smaller than she already looked. Derek got into the driver's seat and glanced sideways at Eva before he started, "You're part of Scott's pack. Whoever's a friend of Scott's is a friend of mine." Derek explained, though he kept a straight face, as he brought the car's motor to life and drove.

Eva was holding onto the edge of seat for dear life, even with her seatbelt on. When the car finally came to a stop, Eva breathed out in relief and closed her eyes. "Do you always drive like you want to die?" She turned to him, glaring.

"Says the girl that threw herself in a lake knowing she couldn't swim." Derek answered back, and Eva narrowed her eyes, "That's none of your business." Eva answered curtly, before she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Derek rolled his eyes as he got out as well, and went to stand beside Eva, and heaved out a small sigh. "I'm…sorry." Derek breathed out through his teeth, and Eva glanced sideways at him, "I've had a couple of rough weeks." Derek mumbled, memories of being held captive by the Calaveras only to be rescued by that mercenary flashing back into his head.

Eva shrugged once, "It's fine." She told him, before she glanced around at the ordinary looking street, and the ordinary looking apartment complex that rose before them. "Where are we?" She asked as she turned to Derek, "Follow me." Was his only answer as he moved towards the complex and brought out a key, opening the door and holding it open for Eva before he followed her in.

A silent ride was the on the elevator was all they needed, too. "Where are we?" Eva pressed as she looked up at Derek, "You'll see." Eva arched one delicate brow at the man, before she took a deep breath and seethed it out through her teeth as the elevator doors opened and Derek led them through the hallway towards an apartment door.

Derek opened the door and held it for Eva to walk in, before he leaned against the doorway.

"Are you going to tell me where are we?" Eva demanded as she turned to him.

"This was…actually is still, Julia's apartment." Derek breathed out, letting his gaze drop to the ground. Eva stared at him blankly for a minute, trying to register what he'd just said. "Still?"

"I'm paying rent for it." Derek explained, "After what happened…I…used to just come and sit here." Derek shook his head and shrugged once, "Why I did that is not important, I brought you here because…you need to deal with what happened." Derek started as he looked up at her, "You need to deal with how you feel."

Eva blinked in slight surprise, and felt a little violated, "You were listening in on my session?"

Derek sighed heavily, "Do you want to get better or not?" Derek asked seriously, and Eva nodded slowly, "The apartment's yours. Do whatever you want with it. Take whatever you want from it. I'll pay for…any damage." Derek started as he stepped back, "I'll pick you up in an hour." Derek nodded once and started to close the door.

"Derek," Eva called out before he closed the door, "Thanks?" She offered and Derek nodded once before he closed the door. Eva turned back to the apartment, staring at its very ordinary exterior. A small living room, two armchairs, a loveseat. A television, a small kitchen on the side. And when she peered into the hallway she saw the two doors, one must have been a bathroom, the other a bedroom. Eva's eyes flickered across the living room again, towards that settled towards the far end of the room.

Eva stepped towards the desk slowly, her hands pushing away the books and the school papers that were there, remembering briefly that Julia pretended to be a school teacher. Once she moved everything out of the way, Eva saw a map underneath everything, with x's and circles marking certain spots. Eva frowned as her eyes flickered across the names; The Bank, The Rail Depot, Derek's loft, The hospital…her house?

Eva stared down for a long time before she finally understood what it meant. Those where the places her aunt took her victims from, or killed her victims at. But why was her house marked with an X? Eva's eyes flickered from the map to the photo frame that was in the cupboard by the desk, the very same photo Eva had on her dresser framed in there. Eva drew in a deep breath.

She was her backup plan. Eva was her aunt's backup plan. It wasn't something that happened by chance.

For the first time in a long time, Eva felt anger. It gently bubbled up in her chest until it felt like fire taking over her being, making her see red. Eva reached for the lamp on the desk, and turned her head away as she smashed the lamp through the glass, before she quickly and carefully reached in for the photo and brought it forward to stare down at it.

"I hate you." Eva breathed out through her teeth, her eyes welling up with fiery tears of anger, before she, with all her might, slammed the framed against the ground, watching the glass shatter, and the frame break into pieces. Eva's eyes lingered on the photo for a very long time, and she didn't even realize what she was doing until the piece of paper went up in flames. Eva gasped, before she quickly stepped on it, once, twice, until the fire was out.

It took Eva a minute to realize that it actually made her feel better, and she turned around, her eyes searching the apartment frantically, before they fell on the desk. With one swipe of her arms against the desk, all its contents were on the ground. Eva breathed out, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared down at the mess she'd made. Her eyes were welling up with tears, her heart was beating fast, and she was actually feeling _better. _

Eva's eyes tried to take in the appearance of the living room, before she threw the lamp to the ground, and reached for the TV to tug it off the wall and throw it to the ground. Eva hurried to flip over the coffee table, before she stepped back and took a deep breath to calm herself down, and her eyes scanned over the apartment again. She was actually feeling a lot better. A lot relieved…a lot less angry.

Eva took a deep breath before she turned towards the cupboard she'd just smashed into, and stepped towards it slowly. Her eyes flickered across the books that were inside it, most of them classical novels, until her eyes finally settled on a book spine that looked too old and worn out to be a novel. It reminded her more of a…grimoire. Eva reached in slowly and grabbed the book, then slowly pulled it out. Eva looked down at small, diary looking booking, before she pushed the hardcover open to peer through the withered pages.

She frowned as she stared at the blank page in front of her – why would her aunt keep a book of blank pages? As Eva started to flip through the pages, hoping to find something written somewhere, she heard the door click, and quickly closed the book, whirling around to see Derek peering through the front door. Derek's eyes widened as he glanced around the room, "Damn, you're little, but you sure can leave a mess."

Eva pursed her lips and shrugged a little, "Can I come back some time again?" Eva started as she stepped towards him, and Derek nodded slowly, "You can come over any time." He muttered as he peered into the apartment again before his eyes flickered to the notebook in Eva's arms. "What's that?"

Eva looked down at the book before she took a deep breath and looked up at Derek again, "Something Julia doesn't need anymore." Eva muttered as she stepped past him and into the hallway.


	6. Deals With the Devil

**A/N:**

**And it has been a month since I updated. Good news is - I got a good amount of writing done! Bad news, I'm hardly ever free. Good news, I'm free now! And hopefully, hopefully for the rest of the year! Or at least, I hopefully won't be as busy as I usually am. Anyways, the trigger warnings will stop now as it's beginning to delve into the plot of the actual story, and starting from this chapter I'd probably say gather clues, my friends. It's gonna be a wild ride.**

**Finally, without further due, a new chapter - I do hope you enjoy it! And that you've stuck around to begin with!**

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"_I trashed her apartment." Eva mumbled under her breath, sounding guiltier than she expected herself to be. "I trashed Julia's apartment." Eva breathed out as she looked up, her gaze meeting Morrell's soft brown one. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, "I thought it would make me feel better, and it did, for maybe an hour. Then I realized I got nothing out of it. That I stooped to her level."_

"_How does trashing her apartment make you stoop to her level, Eva?" Morrell asked as she tilted her head, and Eva rolled her shoulders into a small shrug, "She caused chaos to get what she wanted. She wanted her revenge, which would have somehow made her feel better. That's the exact same thing."_

"_But you're not like her, Eva. She had all the wrong reasons. All the wrong decisions. She didn't go through half of what you went through. You have a right to some chaos. Your chaos. The one you're going to fix." Morrell spoke slowly, and Eva stared at her before she pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around them and hug her knees to her chest._

"_But if you think about it, what happened to her…" Eva started slowly, "I mean she was betrayed by the person she trusted the most. Even killed."_

"_Does that justify what she did?" Morrell asked, narrowing her eyes a little as she leaned forward onto the desk to rest her arms onto it._

_Eva looked up at her and shook her head quickly, "N-no! I mean…I'm not trying to justify her."_

"_But you are. Because you hope it justifies you." Morrell muttered, "If you become like her."_

_Eva couldn't blink, she couldn't even breathe. But she nodded slowly, "Is that what really scares you? That you might become like her?"_

"_There's always the possibility, right?" Eva started hesitantly, "I mean, the oni found nothing dark in me. But that doesn't mean there isn't. What if it's there and it's just waiting for this one…spark…that will cause this disaster?" Eva rambled on nervously, before she let her legs down and scooted to the edge of the seat, waiting for the words of wisdom she'd hoped to hear from her._

"_You don't want to use your powers." Morrell deduced, and Eva drew in a slow breath before she nodded._

"_I don't want any of it. I just want what I had before all of this." Eva whispered, "I don't want to live in the fear that I might hurt someone I care about because I became too dark. And even when the lake incident made the numbness go away, I can still feel it. It's like a void in my chest. It's like a blindfold over my sense of judgment. It's why I trashed that apartment."_

"_What you're asking for is impossible, Eva." Morrell sighed, and Eva's face fell, even when she didn't have high hopes to begin with. "How powerful are you now?" She muttered, and her gaze turned from warm to stern. Eva blinked slowly, trying to find the words in her mind to describe. "Why don't you show me?"_

"_I can't control it…" Eva breathed out hesitantly, but Morrell stood up, pressing her hands against the desk, "Show me, Eva. You can do it."_

"_I can't, I really can't." Eva tried to sound more defiant, but Morrell's insistence was pushing her, "What do you mean you can't? This power is part of who you are now. Show me so I can help you._

"_I can't…" Eva felt her voice to start to shake as her breath hitched._

"_Show me." Morrell repeated, and Eva snapped, "I can't!" She yelled, and all the glass in the room, the windows, the light bulbs, even the glass of water on the desk exploded, glass shattering everywhere. Eva had immediately ducked down, holding her arms over her head, but she didn't feel any glass shards on her skin. She frowned as she slowly peered over the desk, and her breath got caught in her chest._

_The glass crystals were hanging in the air, just floating there. Eva's eyes flickered across the adorned office before she turned to Morrell again, "Our powers have two sides. A good side and a bad one. However, the powers don't decide which side they land on, we do." Morrell spoke slowly as she eased the glass shards to the ground and on the desk. "The powers are part of who you are Eva. Even if you have a little darkness, it's no match for the goodness in your heart. It doesn't matter where it came from. What matters now is that you control it."_

_Eva pushed herself up off the ground slowly, the residue of the surge still running through her body. She felt a little light headed but other than that, the surges didn't leave her as weak as they used to do. Her eyes flickered up to Morrell's face, "How can I control it?"_

"_Learn it."_

Eva stared down at the withered pages of the grimoire. That was the first time she opened the book since she left the hospital – and it felt so difference. But when she held it, it gave her balance. She felt somewhat in control as she stared down at the English letters in their odd anagrams. She'd translated so much of the book too that she could read the things she didn't translate and actually understand them. It was different now. Before she was reading only to know. Now she was reading to learn.

She'd texted Derek about fifteen minutes ago so he could pick her up. She insisted on going to Julia's apartment again after that session, and since she didn't want anyone to know about it, she asked Derek to be the one to pick her from Eichen House. The thought of that place made Eva shiver, but part of was still curious about the patient she'd met. Daniel. But she didn't see him today.

Eva looked down at the page again, before her eyes flickered to the scented candle resting against the coffee table. Eva frowned before she held her fist up. _Dóiteáin. _The word echoed in her head as if it had always been there. Eva knew it meant fire. She just didn't know how she knew that. But she chanted it over and over in her head, imagining the candle being lit. Everything in the book stressed on how much Eva needed to believe what she imagined, and she when finally opened her eyes – so sure that she was going to be able to do this – she opened her palm.

And the small flame caught onto the candle out of thin air.

"Impressive." Eva glanced over her shoulder to see Derek leaning by the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"How long have you been there?" She asked, surprised that she didn't even hear him walk in, and she quickly got up, slamming the grimoire shut.

"About…" Derek started as he looked down at his watch, "Two minutes, exactly." He breathed out before he looked up at her again. "You didn't hear me."

"What?" Eva asked, not looking up at him as she packed the grimoire into her bag.

"You didn't hear me while you were doing your little druid spell there." Derek repeated as Eva finally stood up and heaved out a long breath, then she picked up her bag and slung the straps over one shoulder. "I was focused." She explained as she shrugged a little to step around the couch. Derek didn't fix the damage – the cupboard was still broken, as well as the picture frame. But the place was back in order.

"I thought you were going to destroy the rest of the apartment today." Derek commented, and Eva shot him a glare, only she spied the small smile that curled on his lips, and she rolled her eyes. "I realized violence is not the answer to my problems. Control is."

"You're talking like a werewolf." Derek mumbled as he pressed the elevator's button.

"I might as well be one. I think I'm just as dangerous." Eva shrugged a little as she stepped when Derek held the door open for her, but frowned when she heard him scoff, "What is it?"

"You couldn't be that dangerous." Derek shook his head once as he looked down at her, "You're too good."

Eva turned away from Derek and stared ahead, but a small smile crept onto her lips as well. "Thanks." She mumbled, blinking once.

"Don't feel so grateful. Sometimes being dangerous is what you need to survive in this town." Derek muttered under his breath as he looked down at her, "You need to learn to control what you have, and quickly."

"And you really need to stop spying on my sessions." Eva complained as she crossed her arms over her chest, and Derek shook his head as he chuckled, before he pushed the elevator door open once they were on the ground floor. Derek led Eva out of the elevator just as someone else brushed by her shoulder and walked in, but the small clash left Eva staggering as a sudden coldness ran through her being.

She looked over her shoulder at the figure as it disappeared behind the doors, and frowned. She didn't even know whether that person was male or female, but all she knew is that she had the oddest coldness run through her when she moved past that person.

"Eva?" Derek asked, and Eva turned to him, staring at where he stood by the building's door, before she shook her head once and walked forward towards him, past him. Derek's eyes followed her as she went down the stairs before he closed the door. "What happened back there?" He asked as they approached his car, and Eva shrugged as she looked up at him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Derek pointed out, and Eva shook her head slowly, "I'm fine." She breathed out, not really sure if she was reassuring him or herself, before she quickly got into the car. Derek glanced sideways at her skeptically as he watched her bring out her phone, and turned to the windshield.

Eva tried to shake off the odd feeling before she distracted herself by texting Stiles, telling him she just left Eichen House. She smiled at the picture reply of him pouting while holding his algebra book, and shook her head slowly. She looked up at street ahead before she turned to Derek, "Thank you." She breathed out, realizing she hadn't actually thanked him.

"For what?" Derek muttered, not turning his eyes from the road.

"For letting me into the apartment, picking me up, not…hating me…" Eva started, her voice trailing off as she got hesitant. Derek glanced sideways at her and smiled a bit, "I never hated you. I thought you were like your aunt."

"But you hated my aunt." Eva started hesitantly, before the realization dawned upon her, "Unless you don't."

Derek sighed heavily as he glanced sideways at her, remaining silent. "That's why you still have the apartment."

"You're smart." Derek pointed out quietly, and Eva pursed her lips before she took a deep breath, "Look, it's none of my business." She started and leaned back into the seat, "I just wanted to say thank you. And if I could…ever help you like you're helping me." Eva started, before she let herself become silent. She glanced sideways at Derek, before she fell silent.

"Actually, there's something you can help me with." Derek started as the car slowed to a stop in front of a red light and he turned to Eva, who blinked as she turned to look at him. Derek's eyes flickered to her bag, before he turned to hold her gaze slowly. Eva frowned before she looked down at her phone when she felt it buzz in her hands again. She looked up at Derek, who gave her his silent consent to her unspoken question, and Eva smiled gratefully before she quickly texted Stiles to meet them by Derek's loft.

* * *

Eva got out of the Camaro and glanced around, her eyes barely remembering how the building looked like in the light of day. The two times she'd been here, both intentionally and unintentionally, were at night, and both were nights she didn't want to remember.

She smiled when she saw the powder blue of Stiles' jeep in the parking lot, and headed towards him. "Hey, you." Stiles muttered as he took her hand and leaned down to peck her lips once. Eva lifted both brows, widening her eyes a little as she gestured back to Derek. "I can kiss my girlfriend if I want to." Stiles pointed out, and Eva pursed her lips into a small smile, "Fine." She mumbled, before they turned back to Derek who stood by his car, waiting.

They followed silently to the loft – Eva's eyes registering every detail. But she already knew the place. The more vivid memories were the bitter ones – Eva remembered when her aunt had made her way to Derek's loft with the intention of taking Derek. Eve couldn't exactly recall how she felt, but she knew she felt anxious. Felt anxious because she felt what her aunt felt – she wanted the sacrifices to be done, and wanted the price to be paid. It was a viciousness Eva never knew she could experience, one that she'd numbed out until she'd jumped into that lake. Now it all came back.

Her eyes flickered across the loft as Derek walked in, remembering every aspect of the fight that had gone down here. Stiles had started to walk in but noticed how Eva's gaze had turned into an aimless one, almost like she was deep in thought, and he realized too that she must be remembering what happened. Eva felt the memories play back in her mind like a video tape – every feeling coming back with them. The satisfaction of over powering a werewolf, the pleasure in pouring salt into Derek's wounds, the fearlessness. Eva remembered it clearly – she was dauntless. And right now she was scared of almost everything.

Before Eva had come to the realization of all those emotions rushing back, Stiles' voice broke her out of her epiphany. "Eva, are you okay?"

"Yeah." She breathed out quickly as she turned to look at him, and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just…" Eva started as she turned back towards Derek, who stood by the opposite end of the loft, holding her gaze for a minute there. "I remembered what happened here, that's all." Eva mumbled before she looked up at Stiles again and smiled briefly, "I'm fine."

Stiles pulled his brows together, but followed Eva into the loft. They both waited by the poor excuse of a living room while Derek disappeared upstairs, before he came back with a wooden case in his hands. Eva's eyes flickered all over the case – she recognized a lot of Celtic symbols engraved on the case, and immediately realized what it was, "A preservation case." She muttered before she looked up at Derek, who nodded once.

When Derek poured the contents of the case though, Stiles jumped back, one arm stretched in front of Eva as the other put some distance between him and the coffee table, before he brought his fist against his mouth, "Ah…Are those…are those claws?" Stiles muttered, his face twisting in distaste as he looked up at Derek, who rolled his eyes once. "Yes, they're claws. They're my mothers. All that remained of her, actually."

"Dude." Stiles whispered, before he eventually sighed. He could somewhat understand, seeing as he'd lost his mother too. When he looked down at Eva, she seemed unfazed by the sight of them. She did frown and look up at Derek, waiting for him to explain what he needed.

"I need to ask her something." Derek started, "Something important. I've only heard of one way to do this, though." Derek explained as he looked down at the claws, "A werewolf is to embed them into their own hands, and you know the rest."

"But I'm not werewolf. How can I help?" Eva asked, still somewhat standing behind Stiles, who was uneasy about the direction this conversation was taking.

"Druids have the ability to connect…using things like this. Claws. Objects that hold power." Derek started, "It's called Divination." Derek explained, "The risk of asking a werewolf is great, because both can get harmed. But this is fairly safe."

"Fairly safe?" Stiles started now, narrowing his eyes, "The last time Eva did something similar to what you're suggesting, she passed out and her nose started bleeding, and she was perfectly healthy by then. It's not fairly safe."

Before Eva could speak in defense, a voice had interrupted their conversation, "He's right you know. Rituals like these are rarely ever safe."

Eva looked back, her gaze immediately finding Peter's. Just like that, the power exploding from the tips of her fingers, every god forsaken light bulb in the room exploding and shattering into pieces as she laid eyes on the man who'd helped her aunt to begin with. Possibly the one person Eva could truly blame. And she was. She was blaming him for everything.

"Feisty." Peter smirked as he stepped towards them, before he turned to Derek, "He's lying, though. It's not because it's dangerous to werewolves that he sought you out." Peter commented, "It's because only a werewolf who's related by blood can pull it off. And who is the only surviving member of the Hale family aside from Derek &amp; Cora?"

"You're a dick, you know that?" Stiles commented, clicking his tongue once before he looked back at Derek and frowned, almost in apology. Eva, however, had her glare still fixed on Peter. "You know, glaring at me won't give you your revenge." Peter commented as he stepped towards her, "But I see it in your eyes. You want your revenge, don't you? You've got that spark. The same one your aunt had."

"I'm not like her." Eva muttered, still glaring at him, trying to will herself to do something. She was so focused she could feel the sweat break on her forehead, but she didn't have a clear image in her mind of what she wanted to do. All that power was aimlessly pent up inside her.

"Eva…" Stiles whispered as he reached over to take her hand, and Eva started to feel all the tension leave her body. She eventually breathed out and looked down at her hand interlocked with Stiles', then sighed heavily as she looked up at him and nodded gratefully.

"It's a shame to see such potential go to waste." Peter commented, and Eva had to close her eyes to keep herself calm, her hand squeezing Stiles', before Peter started again, "But let's move onto actually more interesting topics, shall we?" Peter quirked a brow as he turned to Derek, "I'm willing to do your ritual…for a price."

Derek narrowed his as he started to gather the claws back into the wooden case, "Of course." He breathed out an amused chuckle, "What do you want?" He asked as he looked up at Peter again.

"I want to keep them." Peter commented, "But I also want you to ask Talia something as well." Peter finished as he turned to Eva, and she blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I need you to ask Talia something for me." Peter repeated, actually slowing down his words. "You owe me a favor, after all, don't you?" Peter tilted his head as he moved to stand beside Derek, "I'll do this for you, Derek, if you let me keep them. And you are going to ask Talia something for me, Eva." Peter explained slowly, sounding as if everything was going according to some plan he had. "It will save us all the time Eva's going to waste trying to figure out how to use her divination. And everyone gets out a winner."

The whole room was silent, until, "I'll do it." Eva started, "If you give Derek what he wants without pulling any tricks, I'll do you your favor." Eva finally decided, and Stiles turned to her, his eyes wide. She shook her head quickly before he started to argue about Eva's decision. Peter flashed his signature crooked smile, and Eva suddenly felt dread agreeing to his terms, "You two teenagers better leave. It's not going to be pretty." Peter mumbled as he looked down at his right hand, flexing his fingers. Eva's eyes lingered curiously on a finger that seemed to be sown together, but didn't speak, her attention drawn towards something else Peter had said, "Leave?"

"Well you don't expect me to use the claws twice in one day. It _is _dangerous." Peter whispered incredulously, and Eva looked up at Stiles before she nodded once, "Very well then." Peter mumbled as he turned to Derek, "Shall we?"

Derek's gaze met Eva's, and she smiled at him subtly.

"_I need you to pretend like you're going to help me." Derek told her, having explained the whole ordeal with his mother's claws. "Peter will not be easily convinced – and he'll want something in return. I don't want to owe him any favors, so I need him to only ask for something I could do for him without actually strangling him." Derek explained as he drove, his eyes occasionally flickering from the road to Eva._

"_Peter's probably that much of an idiot." Eva commented, "How do you know he'll be there, though?" Eva asked as she turned to Derek, who chuckled once, "Oh, he'll be there. He has nowhere else to go."_

"_So he's still living at the loft with you?" Eva commented, and Derek nodded once. _

"_You really think Peter will be convinced?" Eva asked again as they approached the parking lot, and Derek smiled as he glanced sideways at her, "Peter might be smart, but he's not too smart to be outsmarted. He'll know it's something important that I want to ask my mother and he'll want to be part of it somehow. I guess you could call it his flaw – he wants to think he can control everything."_

_Eva nodded slowly as Derek parked the car, "Just make sure to act clueless in front of Stiles."_

"_I was possessed for fairly a long time to know exactly how to act by now. Don't worry." Eva smiled sadly as she turned sideways to look at Derek, and they both nodded once._


	7. Echo House

**A/N:**

**Apparently this one update per chapter is going to become a trend. However, I do have some good news. I finish writing the Darkness Among Us and the only challenge will be to make gifs for each chapter post as I update. I have other news as well, I decided that the next story, the third one, will be the final in this series and it be be depicting the events of season four; aka the Benefactor/Berserkers plot lines. Mostly this decision is based on the fact that I'm loosing my muse for this character I've loved so much, and I feel like there's no one reading the story so I'm just really writing for myself, and that's good! I just don't enjoy it as much as I used to and there isn't much feedback anymore. **

**Anyways- Here's the new chapter! **

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Eva was staring down at the glass of water that rested in front of Morrell, her eyes narrowed as she focused – until finally the bubbles started to rise to the surface as the water evaporated visibly before them, and Eva's eyes flickered up to Morrell's with pride of what she'd just learned to control.

"You learn fast." Morrell commented as she waved her hand in front of the glass, and the water stilled, almost as if it….froze. Eva's eyes flickered from the glass up to Morrell's face, "What does it feel like, to be able to control your power?" Morrell whispered, and Eva took a deep breath before she shrugged once. "It feels…like the better I control it…the better I am of keeping myself from breaking down more often."

"Do you break down as often as you did before?" Morrell asked, "Do you think it's getting better?"

"Of course it's not getting better." Eva pointed out and shook her head once, "It can't get better. The pain is always there. I just have to learn how to deal with it. I _am _learning how to deal with it." Eva stressed as her eyes drifted to the ground. Morrell frowned and tilted her head, "It sounds like you're trying to convince someone."

Eva frowned a little and chewed on her lower lip before she shrugged once.

"What are you not telling me?" Morrell asked, and Eva looked up at her. It was funny how the woman never actually showed the concern on her face, but her eyes always melted away her fears and inspired her to talk to her. Eva, however, didn't feel like talking, not really. "Work in progress." Eva sighed as she looked up at her, smiled sadly.

_Work in progress_ was their key word for _I'm not ready to talk about it yet_. Eva appreciated that Morrell listened and gave advice instead of tutoring her on how to feel like most shrinks would have. It gave Eva the freedom to deal with what she was handling and at the same time share it. She knew she could have talked to Stiles about it or even Allison, but for a reason she didn't want to. And, truth be told, being in a sanitarium almost made Eva feel like she was the sanest person registered in this place's archives, and somehow it made her feel a lot better about herself.

"How's your relationship with Stiles?" Morrell asked, causing Eva to blink in surprise at the sudden question, "Why are you asking?"

"Because we've had over a week of sessions now and you've never mentioned him." Morrell started as she swayed her chair sideways, "Are things not going good?"

Eva frowned and shook her head slowly, "Stiles &amp; I…we moved too fast." Eva shrugged a little as she looked down, "I mean, we had a good thing going on, we still do. We still kiss when we see each other, we still hold hands, we still…act like a boyfriend and a girlfriend, but we don't talk about what happened at the lake house, or that night, or anything that happened the last couple of months. I don't remember the last time Stiles &amp; talked about something supernatural." Eva mumbled as she crossed one leg over the other and shrugged a little.

"Why do you think that is? That you and Stiles don't talk about what happened any more. It's very much part of your lives now, you can't ignore it." Morrell pointed out and Eva looked up at her. It took Eva a while to find something to say, "I guess…I don't want to lose him."

Morrell frowned and tilted her head, "What makes you think you're going to lose him?"

"It's just…all of this, it scares me." Eva shrugged, "I don't want him to feel like I'm too much for him to handle."

"Don't you think that's something for Stiles to decide?" Morrell lifted a brow and crossed one leg over the other. Eva licked her lower lip and rolled her shoulders into a shrug, "Should I talk to him?" Eva asked as she started wringing her hands together, "Would that help at all?" Eva wondered, somewhat to herself, but still wondered. Morrell took her time to answer the question, and the answer she had wasn't one that satisfied Eva, "I think that should go on your work in progress list." She said with a brief smile, and Eva had to press her lips together so not to show her dissatisfaction, before she got up slowly. "Thanks." She tried to smile before she picked up her bag and left Morrell's office.

Eva glanced around the long corridor, her eyes skipping over the doors that each led to a separate group therapy session, ones which were ongoing and ones which weren't. Eva didn't know what it was about Eichen House that made the shivers move up and down her spine whenever she stepped foot into it – she at first thought it had to be something about stepping into a sanitarium, despite the fact that she despised feeling somewhat irked when in reality she was probably more damaged than she let on.

But now she knew for sure it wasn't just the fact that Eichen House was a sanitarium. She knew that now because she stopped getting goosebumps whenever she saw one of the patients. They all felt pretty normal to her – and even when Eva knew she wasn't allowed to snoop around hospital grounds any more, today in particular, she felt like she could. And she was searching for one patient in particular.

Daniel.

She'd met the guy only once that day and hadn't run into him again ever since, but she'd wanted to. He seemed so brash and almost too sane to be locked in a place like this. Something about him reminded her of how she'd gotten after the hospital. So after some long thinking, she decided she'd go searching for him.

Eva tiptoed around the nurses slowly, managing to make her way around the lobby without being caught. After all, she'd finished the session earlier than she usually did and they wouldn't have been expecting her now. Eva walked along the corridors quietly until she found herself in front of stairs. One flight went downwards, the other went up. And while Eva knew the sanest decision would be to go up, she didn't, instead, she moved down. With every step she took, the place seemed to grow colder. Eva could literally see her breath as she exhaled slowly.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she descended downstairs, and frowned when her path was blocked by a barred door. Eva almost immediately took that as a sign to leave and get the hell out of that place, except the barred door had swung open, just like that. Eva hesitated, glancing back as she tried to keep warm, the temperature dropping too fast for her liking. But eventually, she stepped forward, every step she took echoing in the hallowed halls of the place. _Eichen House. _The word seemed too awfully familiar to _Echo House. _And Eva realized that must have been why it was called that – Echo House. But it didn't faze her still, when she knew it should have, she still walked forward. Her eyes flickering across the walls whenever she heard a new echo, whispers, and in the distance she heard someone screaming.

That was when Eva stopped walking.

The screaming started getting louder, so loud they didn't' seem like echoes any more. Eva could feel the panic engulf her as she stepped back slowly, as if the ground would crack underneath her feet if she moved any faster. But when the screams started to sound like they were coming from inside her own head, Eva turned to run. Except she ran into someone, who immediately reached out to grab the tops of her arms.

"What the hell are you doing down here?" Daniel demanded, his eyes holding more anger than concern. Eva, however, was in the process of trying to compose her frantic breath, staring up at him, still stunned. It wasn't until after a long moment of staring down at her that his voice dropped to a whisper, and his eyes displayed that crazed appearance to them that Eva quickly stepped away from him, out of his hold on her.

"You can hear it too." He deduced, and Eva swallowed thickly as she looked over her shoulder at the hallway again – it was all gone, the screaming, the cold. Everything. Eva quickly turned to him again and shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about." Eva whispered hurriedly, pushing past him towards the stairs. Never did she want to get the hell out of that hospital until she did now.

"You heard the screaming too!" Daniel exclaimed as he hurried after her, but Eva pushed herself up on the stairs, the two flights she descended starting to seem like they'd stretched into four. But one thing had made her stop moving.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

Eva looked up from where she paused by the rails, her eyes falling on that one guy that was tying sheets around the railings. "I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

It took Eva a whole minute to register what exactly was going on. Her eyes followed the wringed cloth over the pillar that was in the ceiling; to the noose that she was pretty sure was wrapped around the guy's neck. "I can swim in the water yet still remain dry."

"Stop, stop, stop…" Eva whispered under her breath as she glanced around. Where was the staff? Why wasn't anyone there to stop him? "Stop…Stop!" Eva's voice had gotten louder, but her limbs felt heavier. The fear welded her feet to the ground, she could barely even move.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky," The man whispered as he climbed onto the railings, "I can swim in the water yet still remain dry." And he pushed himself off.

Eva screamed as she turned away, her eyes shut tightly as the hands that gripped the railing so hard fell loose, and her body slid down to the step of stairs she was standing on. She was gasping for breath, her eyes slowly flickering open as she felt the tremor of shock take over her being. In the blurred vision before her, she saw a figure move towards her. At first, Eva thought it was a girl, but when she heard Daniel's voice she realized it wasn't.

"Let's get you out of here." He whispered as he reached to grab the tops of her arms and pull her up on her feet, this time he was gentler. He helped her up the remaining stairs, all the while Eva's mind was still processing what had just happened and what she had just witnessed, when someone's voice broke through her trance, "What the hell happened? Why was she downstairs?"

Eva looked up to see the obvious anxiety on Cole' face as he quickly took hold of Eva's elbows, "How the hell would I know? I thought that was your job!" Daniel spat back, before he lowered his voice, "She saw it. She saw what happened."

Cole' eyes drifted down to Eva's face, one that had lost color, before he frowned and nodded slowly. The patients gathered around the stairs were all being ushered to their rooms, away from the stairs. Eva didn't see people panicking or screaming, just some whispers and words of sympathy floating around in the crowd, _echoing _around her. "I want to leave." She whispered frantically as she looked up at the male nurse, "Get me the hell out of this place."

Cole nodded as he quickly managed to get a stumbling Eva out of the patient's door towards the lobby, one that Eva actually saw as the warmest place in the whole hospital now. She managed to walk properly by the time they'd reached the front door, Cole still at her side, his hands still hovering underneath her elbows.

Eva looked up, her eyes skipping across the parking around the facility, all over the sidewalk – no Camaro, no Jeep. She glanced around frantically, pushing out of Cole' hold as she stepped out in the middle of the street.

"Eva, if no one's here to pick you up yet then just stay inside!" Cole called out to the girl, watching as she lingered in the middle of the road, her teary eyes waiting for something, anything. "I'm not going back in there." Eva shook her head slowly as she glanced sideways at Cole. However, his face turned from the kind demeanor she was sure he was told to use with fragile patients, to one of genuine horror. "Watch out!"

Eva's eyes turned back to the road just as she saw a car zooming past the speed limit towards her. Just like before, her limbs felt heavier than lead, and she couldn't move out of the way. She couldn't help it as her eyes caught a glimpse of the girl behind the wheel – she could have seen she saw her eyes glow a dark crimson that ran shivers through her frame, shivers she'd felt before. But that was all Eva could do, stare. Had it not been for Derek appearing out of nowhere to literally pick her up and hurry to the sidewalk, Eva was almost positive she would have been as good as dead the next second.

And when she looked up to peer underneath Derek's arm, the car swerved to the left, then to the right, then directly onto the sidewalk and into the street light pole that stood there.

Eva looked up when Derek stepped away, "Are you okay?" He asked as he pressed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes flickering across her figure, scanning her petite frame for any signs of injury, before he finally sighed in relief and looked up to meet Eva's gaze, "Eva?" He whispered again, frowning when he saw the girl's eyes glued to the car.

"I'm fine." She whispered, feeling somewhat lightheaded, "I'm…I'm fine." Eva looked up at Derek before she stepped away from him, towards the car. "Eva, wait." Derek called out as he followed her, but Eva didn't stop. She walked towards the car, the fact that the very same vehicle almost crushed her to possible death lost on her as the curiosity gnawed on her. She moved around it slowly until she found herself by the driver's seat window, and she gulped, because the driver had been launched through the wind shield, lying on the hood.

She still didn't stop. Trying to control her gag reflex, Eva moved towards the hood – it was definitely a female, someone young. Her hair was almost the shade of brown as Eva's, though looking disheveled just like it should be. Eva could barely hear Derek hovering behind her now, or Cole who was yelling into his phone at some deputy at the police station –all she could hear were her converses moving across the asphalt ground and her own heartbeat. She finally came to look at the woman's face, and Eva felt her heart stop.

She wasn't just staring at a girl, _dead, _on the hood of a car that almost killed her. Eva was staring down at herself. She was staring down at her own mirror copy.

That's when her eyes opened, and instead of her hazel hues, Eva saw red eyes – ones that glowed red, completely red. No pupils, no details, nothing. Just red, striking a terror in Eva that made her stumble back, "Oh my god…" She whimpered as she turned back to Derek, "Do you…Can you…see..?" Eva stuttered before she turned back to her mirror copy when Derek's reaction seemed to hold the same confusion on Eva's face.

And everything happened so fast afterwards, but still so slow that Eva could register every detail.

She saw the spark underneath the car at the same time Derek had, and he was quick to react, quickly he pushed Eva to ground and hovered above her as the car went up in flames, then in pieces. Eva could feel the heat around her and see the shards clash to the ground around her. But her head was spinning and her ears were ringing, and when she dared rest her head against the asphalt, her world was swallowed into darkness.

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When Eva began to make sense of the world around her, the first thing she could feel was the sickening rocking that made her stomach churn. She let out a small groan and pressed her lids shut tightly, swallowing down the urge to just throw up what little she'd had for breakfast that day. It took her a while to realize she was moving. She could barely hear the talk around her, but only because her ears were still ringing because of the explosion. She heard one voice though, one she could distinctly make out of all the white noise and the ringing, one Eva was sure she'd be able to make out in a rock and roll concert, and she whispered, "Stiles…"

"I'm here, right here." She heard him say as she felt his hands take one of hers. "You're in an ambulance okay." Stiles informed her before she could even ask, and Eva let her lips fall slack as she let out a small groan to acknowledge what he'd said. "The paramedics said you might have a concussion so just hold still till we get to the hospital, okay?"

"The girl…" Eva breathed out, "The car…The girl…" Stiles frowned as he stared down at her, brushing her hair out of her face, "Just try to relax." Stiles mumbled under his breath as he watched her pull her brows together, before her body relaxed again and Stiles could tell she just lost consciousness again. He looked up at one of the paramedics in alarm, but the man assured him, and Stiles sighed.

That day was probably the one day Stiles didn't send Eva a text during one of her sessions for her to see when she got out – the day he picked up lunch and headed to the station to just spend a semi-normal evening with his father. That was one of the new deputies had barged into the office with a report that someone had almost ran over a girl in front of Eichen House, then the line got cut off.

Stiles had had the worst possibilities as he climbed into the jeep and sped after his father's car, wedging himself in front of a couple of other squad cars as well. By the time he got there, the ambulance was already loading up his unconscious girlfriend – and again, for the third time in one year, Stiles felt the cold wash over him as he stared at another possibility of losing her.

Of course now he knew it was mostly just a concussion, and he hoped everything else the doctors would say there would mean that, but he could still the sickening feeling make him lose his focus on staying focused, making his head think a thousand thoughts at once and turning his critical mind into a mess of absolute cacophony. But he held her hand and tried to remain calm for her sake, even when she was unconscious.

Eva stirred again when the ambulance was nearing the hospital, this time she seemed more aware and less disoriented, which made Stiles begin to get a grip of himself more. "We're at the hospital now, okay?" Stiles muttered as Eva opened her eyes slowly, and he watched as she squinted in a struggle to get some good vision. By the time they were inside and Eva was on one of the bed, being checked by none other than Scott's mom, she was almost fully awake.

"You're okay, but I think you do have a concussion. We have to order an MRI just to make sure." Melissa started as she smiled down at Eva, then looked up at Stiles, her expression only making her calm down even more. "We'll do that when your dad gets here, to get consent."

"I'm eighteen." Eva sighed a little, and turned to look up at Melissa, "I turned eighteen two weeks ago." Eva whispered, and Melissa lifted both brows, somewhat surprised, before she nodded once, "We'll get right on it then."

"You don't have to, I'm fine." Eva said again, only this time she was pushing herself up, blinking furiously as she sat up slowly. Stiles was at her side, one hand pressed against her back as he helped her sit up. He watched her expression turn into a nauseated one, just as Melissa did, and she shook her head once, "You need an MRI." Melissa said firmly, "A neuro consult will confirm my words." Melissa muttered as she glanced back at the doctor heading their way.

Eva eventually sighed heavily as both the doctor and Melissa left, and Stiles turned to her, before he sat down in front of her and frowned. "What happened?" He asked, pulling his brows together.

Eva looked up at him, her eyes meeting his gaze as she tried to decide what she could make out in her head right now. She remembered it all clearly but all the details were mixed together, "I don't know." She whispered, "It all happened so quickly. I don't know."

Stiles heaved out a sigh, before he reached out and took her hand again, "You-"

"I know." Eva mumbled, "I'm sorry." She looked down guiltily, and sighed when she felt Stiles lean closer to wrap his arms around her. He didn't how much more of this he could take of the continuous fear that he was going to lose someone again, lose Eva, but he knew that for now he had to bear it. For her, at least.


	8. First Thing's First

**A/N:**

**Look it's a fast update! I guess I'm just in the mood this week, that's all. I can promise you that things start to get interesting now. I'll try to keep up this rate of updates but no promises. Anyways, here's a new chapter that I truly hope you enjoy - because this chapter was definitely one of my favorites to write. I'm really crossing my fingers for some reviews this time - they would really be appreciated.**

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Eva sat on the cot in the emergency room, leg crossed underneath her as she waited. She watched Stiles as he spoke with his dad a few feet away from her, her eyes lingering on his gestures – he probably was trying to hold off his dad coming to ask her about what had happened, even when Eva knew he was curious to know exactly what happened as well.

But she'd lied and said she didn't know. She knew exactly what happened – but she didn't know if anyone would actually believe her. She knew she had to have more faith in Stiles' capability of accepting occurrences like that, but she didn't. Eva's eyes drifted to the ground as her mind vaguely recalled what happened with brief details, but only one thing stood out in her memory, one she knew would probably stand out too to anyone had it been them.

She remembered how the exact mirror copy of her was lying on the hood of that car, and how it…_she _opened her eyes to reveal the pair of crimson balls that struck terror into Eva.

She looked up when she saw Stiles walk back towards her with his dad, "Eva," The Sheriff started apologetically, "I have to take your testament."

"It's okay." Eva smiled a bit at him, before she took a deep breath, "I walked out in the middle of the street to look for either Stiles or Derek, I couldn't remember who was picking me up that day, and the car just came out of nowhere." Eva mumbled before she looked up at met his gaze, "Derek pushed me out of the way and the thing went up in flames." Eva finished.

"The nurse at Eichen said you saw the driver. You walked up to the car." The Sheriff commented, and Eva felt Stiles' gaze bore into her, but she couldn't dare turn to him, keeping her gaze locked with the Sheriff's as her lips fell slack. She blinked furiously, then nodded, "Y-yeah, I wanted to see if she was okay."

"She?" The Sheriff frowned, before he shook his head slowly, "The driver was a male."

Eva pulled her brows into a frown before she started shaking her head, then she closed her eyes. "Right…he _was _a male." Eva lied before she opened her eyes again, "Did he…did you identify who he was?" Eva whispered, "Did he have a family?"

"Eva-" Stiles started when he saw where the conversation was going, "No, this is my fault." Eva interrupted him, finally allowing herself to look at him, "I need to know." She muttered solemnly before she turned to Stiles' dad again. The man let his gaze drop to the floor before he eventually heaved a sigh, "He's a widower and he had a son in Eichen House. When I checked, the boy had hung himself that same day."

"In the stairwell." Eva finished for him as her gaze drifted to the ground, before she took a deep breath to try and register that had just happened.

"That's all I need for now." The Sheriff said in finalizing tone, before he flickered his eyes to Eva's figure, an expression of sympathy crossing his face as he glanced sideways at Stiles again, then eventually sighed as he left. Stiles moved to sit down beside Eva, "You didn't tell me you saw what happened in Eichen House." He mumbled, and Eva glanced sideways at him before she shook her head slowly, knowing all too well that she had to explain everything else along with that, and explain why she had been going downstairs to begin with – and she had a feeling Stiles wouldn't like what he might hear, "It's not important."

Stiles stared at her, his eyes narrowing as he felt the sting of her lie turn his concern into frustration, and he breathed out heavily through his nose as he turned to look ahead, "If you're trying to keep me from worrying about you by not telling me, Eva, you're doing a pretty horrible job at it." He whispered, his voice holding a surprising amount of anger that made Eva turn to look at him, holding no expression on her face. But Stiles didn't look at her, instead, he just got up, "You know what, if you don't want to tell me, fine." Stiles breathed out, "I…I have to help my dad with something."

Eva's lips remained pursed as she stared at him still – and was surprised when Stiles actually glanced over his shoulder once, then heaved a sigh as he almost reluctantly pressed his lips to the top of her head, "I'm glad you're okay." He muttered, his eyes flickering downwards to meet her gaze briefly, "I am." He told her again before he turned and left. Eva watched him walk away, and while she expected to feel some sort of pain, she didn't. She felt guilty for lying, for being so secretive when the original reason they'd gotten so close with each other was the fact they were so bluntly honest to begin with. But she also felt relief – because with Stiles away from all of this, Eva felt it would be less complicated to figure out, or at least she hoped so.

She looked up when she saw her dad walk in, and smiled sadly when he rushed towards her and wrapped his arms around her, "God, are you okay?" He whispered, and Eva sighed as she nodded against his chest. "I'm fine, Dad. It was just an accident." She explained and smiled up at him as he brushed her hair out of her face, "You need to be more careful, Eva. You're all I have now." He breathed out, and Eva nodded slowly as she reached out to take his hands, "I'm really fine." Eva assured him, before she glanced sideways when a doctor approached them with the results of her scan and stole her father away to fill him in.

Eva's eyes drifted away, flickering across the emergency room, before she sighed heavily and looked down, wrapped her arms around herself. All that happened that day made no sense and there were two people dead. Eva had a feeling, a hunch, that somehow they both might be connected aside from the fact that it was a kid and his father who died. Just thinking about it made Eva's head begin to spin, and winced as she closed her eyes.

"You should rest when you get home." Eva opened her eyes to see Mrs. McCall standing in front of her with a kind expression, one that made Eva both yearn for her own mother but still feel overwhelmed with joy to have someone who could still look at her like that. Eva had never actually taken up Scott on his offer to call his mom whenever, even though she wanted to more often than she thought she will. However, she couldn't help but let the corners of her lips twitch into a weak attempt of a smile. "I definitely will."

"Where's Stiles?" Melissa asked, and Eva felt the momentary joy fleet from her as sighed, "He left."

Melissa frowned, somewhat astonished Stiles had left, before she moved to sit down beside Eva, "Did something happen between the two of you?" She tilted her head when Eva glanced sideways at her, "You know you can tell me anything, sweetheart."

"That's it." Eva muttered as she looked up, turning to face Melissa, "I know I can tell you anything. I know I can tell _him _anything. I'm just…not." Eva frowned again as she peered t Melissa, her wide hazel hues pleading for help. Melissa pursed her lips as she reached to brush Eva's hair back, "You've been through a lot, Eva. You have the right to be somewhat closed off. You do go to sessions, right?" Eva nodded, and Melissa smiled, "Then it'll come to you. You just give yourself some time. And I know it's hard with all the….not so ordinary things happening in this town, but it'll come to you."

"But he's going through so much because of me. I can see it every time I look at him. It's like he thinks I will drop dead any minute, and…it just kind of bothers me that he thinks I'm so fragile." Eva explained, "But I can't help but feel it's my fault. He gets worse whenever I do and I don't want that for him. I don't want my falls to be his falls as well."

Melissa breathed out a sigh, "When you got…attacked," Melissa lifted both brows then continued, "Stiles wouldn't leave the hospital. We eventually forced him to so he could change into fresh clothes and shower. Do you know what he said to me when I finally got him to leave?"

Eva shook her slowly, and Melissa smiled as she placed her hand over Eva's, "He said he wanted to be in his best for when you woke up. For a kid like Stiles, being the best is a big deal." Melissa pointed out, "But he wanted to be that for you. He was willing to go through all the effort and all the torment to just be there for you. I'm pretty sure that boy would walk on nails for you." Eva laughed a little and looked down just as Melissa tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "You'll meet him half way. The best couples aren't the ones that are perfect for each other, they're the ones that work hard and meet each other halfway. You're kids but you're all so grown up. You'll be fine." Melissa finally finished, and Eva looked up at her.

"You're a really good mom." Eva pointed out with a small smile, and Melissa let out a small chuckle, "I try, but it's good to hear that every once in a while." Melissa chuckled before she leaned closer to wrap her arms around Eva and hug her, "Just give it some time." Melissa mumbled as she pulled out away, "Thank you." Eva smiled a little as she watched Melissa get up and leave. Just as she did, her thoughts drifted back to the echoes and the screams and her clone self that didn't turn out to be a clone after all.

* * *

A day later, a Saturday evening, Stiles was pacing around his room, his mind in a thousand different places at once, "She keeps lying to me!" He exclaimed as he turned to Scott, who was sitting at the edge of Stiles' bed, his eyes following his friend's movement. "She keeps lying and hiding things." Stiles groaned, "She looked me in the eye and said she had no idea what had happened, that it all happened so quickly…And she just…keeps getting herself in situations like these." Stiles stopped pacing by his wall, now with new cases and photos hung on it, "I don't know if I can go through this anymore."

When Stiles turned to Scott, he saw a small smile on his lips, "What are you smiling at?"

"I remembered the time I thought I'd killed Allison, I remembered how worried I was about her." Scott pointed out, and Stiles heaved out a sigh, "Really, Scott, I tell you my girlfriend is driving me crazy and you reminisce the day you thought you killed your ex?"

"No, it's not that." Scott shook his head, before he took a deep breath, "Look, will you calm down? You know she needs time, what happened with her is not something to be underrated."

"I know, or I _think _I know, at least!" Stiles threw his arms in the air, frustrated, "We don't even talk about her sessions, Scott. I don't know if she's getting better. I sure don't know if she's getting anywhere!" Stiles sighed as he leaned against the wall, covering his face with his hands, before he rubbed his face in frustration and sighed, tilting his head towards the ceiling.

"Maybe you should think of something else, for now. Leave that for when you're calmer, alright?" Scott suggested, and Stiles eventually agreed, before he turned to his desk again and picked up the file he'd managed to camscan and print from his dad's office. "Are we still going to try and catch Malia's scent today?"

Stiles glanced sideways at Scott and shrugged, "I don't know. My dad is supposed to call us so we'd meet him up there." Stiles mumbled as he went through the case file of the car crash that ended the life of the two Tates and left one missing. Of course, that's when his dad had told him all about the impeachment case, and about how it's been going on for months now. He was upset at first that he'd not figured out something was wrong with his dad, and then he realized the only reason that happened was his recent shuffle of attention – and how he'd thrown himself completely for Eva, and he almost felt relieved she wasn't involving him with whatever was wrong with her.

Stiles felt horrible almost immediately for thinking what he'd just thought and he looked up at Scott, "Do you really think you might actually pick up a scent? " He quickly changed the subject, part of him still horrified he'd allowed himself to think that, and another part completely alarmed at how the former part was so small.

"I don't know, I mean, I'll try." Scott muttered, "Ever since I'd managed to get control of all of this, I think I'm actually capable of a lot more than I even know." Scott mumbled, "I just…I remember what Deucalion had said, and…" Scott eventually shrugged when he realized he was rambling on, "I'll try." He reassured his best friend with a smile. Stiles frowned as he tilted his head, heeding his friends concern to mind and trying to make a mental note to talk to him about it later.

Stiles' phone buzzed against his desk, and the boy quickly picked it up when he saw his dad's ID flashing on the screen. After a curt call, he hung up and turned to Scott, "It's show time." Stiles muttered, and Scott quickly got up, following Stiles out of the room.

Stiles swung the door open only to be surprised by Eva standing there, her hand held up almost to press against the doorbell. "Hi!" She exclaimed, and blinked a little as she smiled. Stiles couldn't help but smile as well as he stepped back, almost letting her in. "I was just about to leave now." Stiles muttered as he glanced back at Scott, then he turned to Eva and frowned. Eva's smile had fallen by the time and she'd started chewing on her lower lip as she wringed her hands together, "I wanted to talk to you."

Stiles heaved a sigh and shook his head, "I really have to go. We're helping my dad with something." Stiles explained, and Eva nodded slowly in understanding, "Of course." She mumbled as she stepped back. "Shouldn't you be resting?" Stiles pointed out, "Look, we'll talk, for sure. But just go home and rest now." Stiles told her as he exited the house and locked the door as Scott left. Again, just like yesterday, Stiles had leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. "We'll talk." He tried to smile, before he swayed his hand in a weak attempt of a wave, then he hurried towards the jeep. Scott glanced sideways at Eva, frowned as he tilted his head, "He'll be fine. He's just really worried about the thing with his dad." Scott explained, "It's good to see you, Eva." Scott smiled before he hurried after Stiles to climb on his dirt bike, and Eva watched as they both left.

* * *

Stiles was disappointed as he drove back home – he'd really thought he could help his father with this case, and he'd seen the disappointment on Scott's face which made Stiles feel even worse. In addition to that, Stiles fessed up about the case his father was pressing against the Beacon Hills Police Department, one that will probably put his father out of a job, and watched all the somewhat conviction he'd given his friend to try and form a relationship with his father dwindle away. The day pretty much sucked for Stiles right now.

As he parked the jeep in front of the house, he wasn't sure whether seeing Eva sitting on the steps was going to make his day get better or worse. He was concerned, however, because he was gone for over three hours, and he had a very strong feeling she hadn't left or gone anywhere. Stiles got out of the car and headed towards her, watching as she stood up and greeted him with a small smile. "Did you not leave?" Stiles frowned as he glanced around, and Eva quickly held up her hands, "Stiles, please." She started, "I just want to talk. I've…done some thinking." Eva mumbled, "I'm going to tell you what I feel." She said with defiance, and Stiles took a deep breath, somewhat relieved.

"Okay." He nodded slowly as he stepped past her to open the door and hold it open for her. Eva smiled a bit before she walked in – and they both just automatically moved to his room, their private little space to talk. He took a deep breath as he closed the door then turned to her, waiting patiently as he watched her fiddle around with her fingers nervously. Stiles tilted his head, frowning, noticing that new habit on her only now. He stepped forward and placed his hand over her own. Eva looked up and met his gaze, before she frowned, "I hate lying to you." Eva started, and Stiles had to hide his disappointment when she'd admitted she really had been lying, "It's just…Lots of things don't make sense to me. But only one thing does, right now, and that's how much you're hurting because of me and it isn't fair."

Stiles felt the need to interrupt her, the conversation sounding all too familiar, "You're right, it's not fair. It's not fair that I care about you so much and you keep pushing me away. Do you know how hard that was for me with Lydia? And she didn't actually care about me at the time. But you…" Stiles sighed, "We _have _something. I don't just like you anymore. It's more than that."

"Yes, I know," Eva pressed as she stepped away, "Stiles, I swear I'm not pushing you away, I just…I want to protect you…and I want to be able to be the girl you want to be with."

"But you are!" Stiles exclaimed, feeling appalled she'd actually thought otherwise. "What happened to you doesn't change the fact that I…You're just you, Eva. No matter what happens. No matter what you lose or what you gain, you're that girl. Sure you've changed, but I did too!" Stiles gushed out, and Eva sighed, "You don't get to protect me when you're the one who needs to be protected." He finally breathed out, and Eva turned to look up at him, "I'm not fragile, Stiles. I'm not…going to _snap _if I don't have you around. I need you, I do, but your constant hovering…it's just suffocating me."

"I have to hover!" Stiles started, his voice rising over the tone of frustration to actual anger, "If you haven't noticed, Eva, you were stabbed to _death _by demon ninjas! Then you almost drowned! Then you almost got ran over by a car and blown up in an explosion in the _same day! _How the hell do you not expect me to hover? Do you even know how much I care about you? Do you even _care _what would happen to me, for once, if something actually happens to you?!"

Eva had run out of words – not because she had nothing to say, but because something Stiles had said left her speechless, "Stabbed to death?" She whispered, and Stiles' expression relaxed from anger to anguish as his eyes welled up, "Yeah, to death." He muttered, his eyes holding her gaze, "You _died, _Eva. Your heart actually stopped beating. You stopped breathing. Your eyes were open but you couldn't see me and you were _in my arms._" Stiles' voice had cracked towards the end of that sentence before he turned away, "I saw the life go out of you. I saw it." Stiles whispered with a broken voice, and Eva watched the tears trickle down the one cheek she could see.

Eva remained speechless, in her head there was a battle – a battle between curiosity, guilt, and just…pain. "I can remember it way too well for trying to forget it, and just when I almost put it behind, something happens to you. And it's killing me." Stiles eventually sighed and sniffled, before he quickly wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his shirt and he turned back to her, "It kills me to think that I might lose you."

"If I'm causing you so much pain," Eva whispered after a long moment of silence, "Then what's the point of us anymore?" She breathed out as she blinked away the tears in her own eyes, "We were supposed to be each other's comfort, not each other's pain. And…I...I can't live with myself if I'm causing you pain like this. Because…the pain of losing someone is just not something you should go through so much in your life, Stiles. You're too….important." Eva eventually let her gaze drift to the ground.

Stiles stood a few feet from her, "I'm not important." He quickly argued, almost wishing he could take back what he said. His heart jumped to the back of his throat and he felt like he might throw up when he realized where her words would be taking them.

"No, no, you are." Eva whispered, her voice holding the pain Stiles knew he felt right now. "You're important to your dad, Scott, everyone else." Eva muttered before she looked up at Stiles, "To me." She sniffled once, "And I can't be the cause of your pain."

"Breaking up with me won't change the fact that I will still care about you." Stiles gushed out as he stepped towards her, "I will still be worried."

"But if I stay away." Eva started as she closed her eyes, "If I stay away I won't have to worry about causing you pain, or lying to you, and I might actually figure out everything…And…maybe if I do that-"

Eva's words were cut off when Stiles had pressed his lips down against hers, his hands moving to hold her face. Eva's hands moved to hold onto Stiles' wrists, and she closed her eyes, immediately melting into the kiss as their lips slotted together, fitting together almost like puzzle pieces. When Stiles' pulled away, he pressed his forehead against Eva's, still holding her face close as he breathed against her lips. "Just because you make me miserable sometimes doesn't mean I'm letting you go that easy, Eva Davis."

Eva fluttered her eyes open to meet his gaze, and she blinked slowly as he held her gaze. His thumbs moved over the apples of her cheeks, "Stop trying to do the right thing and start doing what feels right." Stiles muttered, before he pulled away, still holding her face gently, "Does breaking up with you feel like the right thing to do?" He asked, his voice holding slight hope as he tilted his head. Eva's eyes flickered from his lips to his eyes, and she shook her head slowly. Stiles pressed his lips into a weak smile, "Then we'll figure it out."

This time, he leaned down slowly, his lips brushing against hers lightly before he leaned in closer to close the distance between them. Eva stretched onto the tips of her toes to meet him halfway, her arms moving to wrap around his neck as his fingertips traveled down her sides in a feathery touch. Their bodies were pressed against each other, and Stiles struggled to hold back a moan – he could barely remember the last time he and Eva had been this close before.

The kiss got deeper when Eva's hand went through Stiles' hair, tugging at his unkempt hairs as she nipped at his upper lip. It wasn't long before Stiles had daringly let the tip of his tongue tease her lips and attempt to find a breach until he did. His hands now moved underneath the hem of her shirt, his thumbs rubbing against the little exposed skin he'd had his hands on there, before his hands moved over the curves of her waist and down to back of her thighs.

Stiles hoisted Eva up, or at least he tried to, staggering at first but still hell bent on carrying her. He laughed sheepishly against her lips before he hoisted her up again so she could finally wrap her legs around his waist and lock her feet at the small of his back. Stiles stumbled slowly towards the bed until he felt his knees at the edge, and he gently eased Eva down. He hovered above her momentarily once they'd pulled away, and his thumb brushed underneath her eyes to wipe away what was left of the wetness from her tears, "You're not fragile." He whispered, his eyes flickering across her face, taking in every details – her slightly glassy eyes, her swollen lips, her hair splayed on the mattress underneath her, "You're the strongest person I've ever met and I'd be damned if I let you go. Cause _I'm _the fragile one, and _I'm _the one who needs you." Stiles muttered and tilted his head, smiling a bit when he saw her lips stretch into a smile, "God, I've missed seeing you smile."

"You're an idiot." Eva pointed out, and Stiles couldn't help but chuckle, "I know." He mumbled as he leaned down to press his lips to hers – but it barely had the chance to go anywhere because Scott barged in, "Stiles, we have to- Woah!" Scott quickly pulled his hand over his eyes, "I'm…sorry…I should have realized _that _was what I heard…" Scott breathed out as Stiles quickly scrambled off Eva and pulled her to sit up, "What the hell did you think it was, Scott?" Stiles complained as he adjusted his clothes and looked down at his jeans, feeling the crimson tint rise to his face.

"I...I thought you were just watching one of those sappy movies you watched when you were upset!" Scott shrugged, and Stiles quickly shushed him, his eyes flickering down to Eva, who pressed her lips together, her face torn between actually blushing or bursting into laughter. "Can you just, not, Scott?" Stiles muttered, before he took a deep breath, "You can look at us now."

Scott put his palm down and flickered his gaze between Stiles, and Eva who was sitting at the edge of the bed. "I just wanted to…You know what, nevermind." Scott shook his head, and Stiles looked down at Eva, before he turned to Scott again, "Dude, what is it? You said we had to do something. What is it?" Stiles asked, and Scott took a deep breath before he held up his flashlight.

"I was going to say we have to go to where the Tates crashed their car." Scott breathed out, "That…we should go find a body. A dead body."


	9. More Harm Than Good

**A/N:**

**Whoever said senior year was easy is a mean, mean liar. I've never been busier in my life, and that's a lame excuse for not updating for almost two months, it is, but I kind of had a writer's block and a graphic's block and everything block and everything just fell out. But I'm back now, and I'm determined to be consistent with my updates. I'm very excited about this chapter because as of NOW the main plot shall begin to be revealed, and I'm so excited to see what you guys think of it and what you speculate for it! Now I'll shut up, and I hope you enjoy the chapter and leave your comments!**

* * *

"Wait, so you want to go looking for the body of an eight year old girl in the woods?" Eva summed up as she stared at the two teenagers, frowning a little, "Because you think there's something else out there, another werewolf?" She finished as she turned to Stiles, who nodded slowly. They'd spent an hour explaining to her Malia's case, including why Stiles' dad was so keen on solving it.

"Okay, I'm coming." Eva finally breathed out, and Stiles almost opened his mouth to complain before Eva turned to look at him, "I'm fine." She told him briefly, and Stiles pursed his lips when she tilted her head towards Scott, and eventually sighed and nodded, "Okay." He muttered, and glanced sideways at Scott, then reached back to scratch the back of his neck. "We gotta go before dad gets here." Stiles told them, watching Scott nod with a fiery determination in his eyes before he left the room.

"We still have lots of talking to do." Eva muttered as she turned to Stiles once Scott left, "There's still so much I need to tell you. Something very important."

Stiles pulled his brows into a frown when he'd realized this was not just about them anymore, "I might as well just tell Scott so we'll talk in the car." She breathed out hesitantly, and Stiles licked his lip before he reached out to take her hand, "You don't have to, if you don't want to."

"But I have to." Eva shook her head once, "Now, come on. Scott is waiting for us."

Stiles nodded quickly before he reached for the case file on the desk and led Eva downstairs. "You lead the way, I'll be on the bike behind you." Scott started as he picked up his helmet. "No, you should ride with us." Eva said quickly, before she glanced sideways at Stiles. She was meant to only tell Stiles about the suicide and the car, but now she knew that this might actually be something too big for just having Stiles' and her head in it – and as much as she hated to drag Scott into this too, it felt right to tell him.

Stiles held the door open to Eva just as Scott shot him a confused look, quirking his brow. Stiles shrugged once as he closed the door and moved around to get into driver's side, before he glanced over at Eva and then through the rearview mirror at Scott, "Alright," He started as he started going through the case file, his eyes scanning over the coordinates and the exact position of the car crash, "Alright." He breathed out before he pulled out his phone to enter the coordinates into the GPS, and he nodded once before he propped the phone on the dashboard.

Scott and Eva had remained silent until Stiles had finally started driving, then he glanced sideways at Eva. The brunette took a deep breath before she started, "You know what happened, yesterday, right?" She started, her eyes flickered to meet Scott's gaze in the rearview mirror, and once he nodded, she sighed, "I…the first day in Eichen House, I knew something was off with this place. Something was completely not right about it. And not just because it was a…facility to treat mental illness." Eva whispered, trying to sound a little respectful to the patients there, "Something was just off."

"Then why did you keep going?" Stiles asked, and Eva shrugged, "I brushed it off because I thought I was just being oversensitive." Eva explained, "But the more I went there, the more I knew something bad probably happened there. I read that…some druids have the ability to see the past or the future if they come in contact with a significant object, person, or place from either tense." Eva explained, "And I figure the bad feeling was just because of the…more violent treatments."

"But on the first day, I met a patient." Eva whispered, eying Stiles nervously as she spoke, starting to twiddle with her fingers again, "His name is Daniel. I knew he was different. Something about him was…not right. He seemed too sane to be in there, but one of the nurses there told me that he'd been kicked out of so many foster homes that Eichen was the only place that could take him in."

Stiles pulled his brows together, this time concerned and somewhat…upset, "So what about that Daniel guy?" He breathed out, his fingers tapping the steering wheel. Eva didn't pause too long to take a breath, "I went looking for him, yesterday." Eva said quickly, "And I went downstairs. I knew that the…violent patients were kept downstairs, but it was like something drew me there. And it started getting cold, and I could hear whispers, echoes," She quickly corrected as she turned to Stiles.

"Turn right," Scott said quickly before he nodded for Eva to continue, and she pressed her hands against the dashboard as Stiles did a sharp turn. "But I started hearing someone screaming. In pain, I could tell." Eva mumbled, "I think. And when I turned to leave, Daniel was just there and he said…" Eva had never actually stopped to let herself think of the brief interaction she'd had with Daniel, her mind was too wrapped up in everything that happened after, that she only realized how significant that could be until now, "He said _You can hear the screaming too_." Eva mumbled as she frowned.

"Then what happened?" Stile urged her to go on as Scott gesture for him to make another turn, "Then I just pushed past him and started going back upstairs, and I heard him."

"The patient who hung himself." Stiles finished when Eva didn't continue. She nodded slowly, "But...he kept saying something…" Eva whispered, and her hear began racing in alarm when she realized she could barely remember what he was saying when he hung himself. "I...it was a riddle." Eva mumbled urgently before she turned to stare at the windshield, "I can't remember it."

"Eva," Scott started, smelling the anxiety and catching the rise of her heartbeat, "It's okay. Maybe you're just disoriented still." He tried to reassure her, and Stiles quickly nodded along. Eva frowned as she relaxed back into the seat, and eventually sighed, "Of course." She muttered, and before she could start speaking again, Stiles was stopping the jeep. "We gotta walk from here." Stiles turned to Eva, who looked somewhat relieved she didn't have to tell the rest of her story just yet.

The three got out of the car and started on their way along the rugged terrain of the reserve, following Scott who was holding the phone.

"If your dad is right, there's probably another werewolf out there that we don't know of." Eva muttered as she glanced sideways at Stiles, who nodded once, "I know." He mumbled, "And if it turns out to be three triplets, that join together into a three headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for it."

Scott glanced over his shoulder at Stiles before he breathed out a sigh, "Yeah, me neither." Scott muttered as he looked down at the phone again as they walked. They remained silent, Scott leading the way with Stiles and Eva following along. "Are you okay?" Stiles whispered when he'd noticed Eva's eyes focused on the ground, and she looked up at him before she nodded quickly, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm thinking."

Stiles nodded once, wanted to ask her about what she was thinking about until a howl sounded off in the night, and Stiles jumped, knocking the phone out of Scott's hand and down the boulder they hovered around, into a puddle of water. Eva lifted both brows as she stared at Stiles, chewing on the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as she watched Stiles' face redden visibly in the darkness. He looked up at Scott, who turned to somewhat glare at him. "Sorry, buddy." He mumbled, "I just," He started as he turned to Eva, "I hate coyotes. They always sound like they're mauling some poor, helpless little animal." Stiles whispered as Scott jumped over the boulder.

Eva watched as Stiles almost skidded down to land on his ass, but he didn't. He quickly turned to take Eva's hands and held her down as Scott picked up the phone, "Still works." He breathed out, before he glanced back at the two of them, then continued walking, Stiles following with Eva close behind. Stiles glanced around as Scott look at the phone and tilted his head, "Let me see that flashlight," Stiles whispered as he took the flashlight from Scott, "I think we found it." Stiles started as he went ahead, and Eva glanced sideways at Scott, before she followed quickly after.

"Uh…why wouldn't they…isn't this evidence?" Scott asked, and Eva looked up at Stiles as he shone the flashlight on the car that was turned over. Eva could already sense it creeping up on her, that bad feeling again. "Probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out." Stiles whispered as the three of them.

"Look at this," Stiles started as they got closer, "Do you see those?"

"Aren't animal claws supposed to be closer than this? Like…a lot closer?" Eva whispered, gesturing to the claw marks on the door, before she looked up at Scott, who moved his hand over the claw marks. Stiles breathed out heavily, flickering his gaze between them and the car, "Then it definitely was another werewolf." Scott said, and Stiles leaned down to run the flashlight's beam through the inside of the car.

"What did you find?" Eva asked, frowning when Stiles had pushed himself inside the vehicle to pull something out. "That's just…" She stepped back a little when Stiles stood up with a doll in his hand. Scott turned to Stiles, and they shared a look of recognition before they both looked down at the doll again. Eva flickered her confused gaze between them before she looked down at it.

"I'm hungry." The child-sounding recording played off the doll, and Stiles screamed as he jumped back, tripping over his own feet to fall into the undergrowth. Scott quickly stepped back, letting out a strangled of fear, and Eva let out a screech as her hands shot up to cover her face. She slowly peered down at the doll through her fingers before she eventually let her hands down and looked down at Stiles, who was still regaining color, "I think I had a minor heart attack." He whispered, and Scott let out a weak laugh before he let his hands fall to his side as well.

When Scott looked up, he narrowed his eyes, "Guys," He muttered, "Please tell me you see that."

Stiles frowned as he got up quickly, stepping beside Scott to look at the same direction he was looking at, and Eva stepped around Scott to look too. They were staring at a pair of blue glows, and they could hear the growls all too well. "Eva," Stiles whispered quickly as he stretched his arm in front of her to push her behind him, just as Scott stepped forward. "Scott, wait, wait!" Stiles called out as Scott took off after the blue glows when they disappeared, and he almost followed him had it not been for Eva gripping his hand with both her own, and shaking her head quickly.

"This is not good." Stiles started as he flickered his eyes back to where Scott had run off, and Eva frowned as she took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, "He'll be fine. He'll come back." Eva whispered as she looked up at Stiles, before she glanced back at the car. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked down at the doll again, before she turned to Stiles, "Maybe there's more evidence we haven't seen." Eva tried to distract him as she stepped towards the car again, moving her hand to rest it over the claw marks.

That's when the world shifted around her, and all she could feel was the feral need to the tear through someone's throat. Eva could only see red, her eyes flickering across the car towards the woman and the six year old inside the car, screaming for help. She took her chance, and with her teeth she pulled the little girl, her set sharp of teeth wrapping around her neck as she tugged her out, feeling the warm, tangy blood rush into her mouth, fill her with the greatest pleasure.

Her claws worked away at their bodies until she looked up, and her red vision flickered into an almost normal one when she saw herself in the side mirror – but Eva knew she wasn't staring at herself, she was staring at a semi-shifted were-animal. _Werecoyote._

Eva gasped as she stepped back, almost stumbling to the ground. Stiles quickly reached out and grabbed her, "Eva, what is it?" He questioned as she gasped, and she looked up at Stiles with wide eyes. "It's Malia." She breathed out, and Stiles frowned, shaking his head in confusion, "It's Malia, she's the…she's a werecoyote." Eva explained hurriedly, and Stiles blinked as his eyes flickered towards the car then back at Eva again. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Eva started again as she stepped away from Stiles and turned to look at the car again, "She's a werecoyote. I saw it." She whispered before she looked up at Stiles again. He took a deep breath and glanced around, "We have to find Scott." Eva told him, "Don't worry, Scott won't do anything to her."

"It's not her I'm worried about." Eva countered quickly, "I didn't just see her, Stiles. I _was _her. I felt what she felt. She's…she's a monster. She's completely out of control, and she probably won't hesitant to hurt him if she had the chance. It's him I'm worried about."

Stiles drew in a breath through his teeth before he nodded, "We have to find him then." Stiles looked down at Eva again, "Can you run?" He told her, and Eva nodded slowly – hoping for her sake that she was at least a little bit physically fit to capable of running right now. "I hope we don't have to." She muttered as they started towards the direction Scott had run into.

"Scott!" Stiles called out as they walked through the terrain, Stiles' hand gripping the flashlight, the other holding Eva's tightly. "Scott!" Eva called out as well, glancing around, before she stopped walking when she heard something. A humming, someone was humming…a child was humming. "Do you hear that?" Eva whispered as she looked back, trying to determine where the humming came from. The tune made shivers run through her spine, and she looked up at Stiles again, who had stopped walking as well and was shining his flashlight at something in the distance. Eva's attention turned away from the humming as she stepped beside him, "What is it?"

Eva turned to look forward, and she blinked once as she stared at what the flashlight's beam illuminated. "Is that a-"

"Coyote's den, yeah." Stiles whispered, "Malia's den." They both turned around when they heard Scott whisper, and the trio exchanged hesitant stares before Eva started, "Should we…?" Eva whispered as she tilted her head towards the burrow in the boulder, and Scott shook his head once, "We're already too close. If we go in there, she won't come back. We need to know how to find her."

"And then what?" Stiles asked, and Scott shook his head slowly, trying to find something to say, "I don't know, we help her."

Eva felt Scott and Stiles' argument drown out when she heard the humming again. She stepped away and frowned, turning towards the trees as she started to follow the sound of the haunting tune. Her eyes flickered across the darkness, before she reached into her pocket to tug out her iphone and turn on her flashlight, flickering the light around to illuminate her way as she walked deeper into the reserve.

The humming had started echoing around her, the way it did only made shivers run throughout her body. But it didn't stop her from moving, but she'd had the sense to turn around and call for the boys, "Stiles!" She called out, "Scott!" Eva frowned as she moved her light back, waiting for either of them to show up or even answer her calls, but neither did, and she turned forward again when the humming demanded her attention.

"We follow, we lead, but we only do when you pass, we do when you leap."

Eva frowned – that didn't sound like a child. It sounded like a man, a scared man, whose voice was shaking. "Hello?" She called out as she started hurrying towards the voice.

"Dress in the darkest black, but I remain darker still."

Eva knew she was getting closer to the voice. She followed the whispers, "We follow, we lead, but we only do when you pass, we do when you lead." Eva hadn't even realized she was running until she burst through the bushes, and the color drained out of her face when she saw the source of the whispers.

She was standing in the middle of the camp, the fire was still burning, tents still set. But that wasn't what horrified her – what horrified her was the woman lying on the ground with a bullet in her head, and the man hovering over a baby seat with a gun pointed at the little baby inside it. "Dress in the darkest black, but I remain darker still."

The man's voice shook, and Eva could tell out the same fear in it – a lot similar to the one the boy in Eichen had in his own. He seemed almost reluctant, the tears running down his face, as he held the gun in shaking hands, "Sir," Eva started calmly, and almost stepped back when he turned to look at her, a crazed look in his eyes. "Sir…What are you doing?"

"We follow, we lead," He started again, and Eva stepped towards him again, but his voice got louder, "But we only do when you pass!" He cried out through his teeth, "We only do when you leap!"

"Is that your baby? Is that your wife?" Eva gestured towards them, trying to remain calm even when her heart was jumping inside her chest. "Dress in the darkest-"

"Listen to me," Eva demanded, "Listen to my voice." Eva tried to sound confident as she stepped towards him, glancing sideways when she spied something move out of the corner of her eyes, and she caught a red glow. Scott.

"It's okay. I'll help you, just put the gun down." Eva whispered, trying to placate the man, "Just put the gun down, sir."

"Dress in the darkest shade of black," He whimpered as he moved his gun point from the baby, but pressed it under his chin, "But I remain darker still."

"No…No!" Eva screamed before felt her breath go out with the sound of the gunshot as the man dropped limply to the ground. Her eyes flickered over his figure as the tears welled up in her eyes, her phone dropping to the ground. But what demanded her attention was the whimpering baby in the car seat, stirring. Eva felt her chest tighten with anguish for the baby, and she quickly stepped forward to lean down in front of car seat, undoing the buckles to pick her up.

"Sshh…" She whispered as she sat back on the ground, turning the baby's face away from the dead man as her eyes still stares at him, "It's okay." Eva swallowed thickly as she patted her back gently, rocking back and forth, "It's okay."

Eva didn't even acknowledge Stiles and Scott getting out of the bushes until she saw Stiles kneel down in front of her. His eyes flickered from the baby in Eva's arms to her eyes, still wide and glassy with the tears that had welled up within them. "Eva." He whispered, trying to turn her gaze away from the body, "Look at me."

Eva looked up at him, her hands still patting the baby's back, but she'd stopped rocking. "It's okay." Stiles whispered as he leaned closer to wrap his arms around her, minding the baby in her arms, "It's okay." He whispered against her hair and closed his eyes.


	10. If I Close My Eyes

**A/N:**

**I have no excuse for how long it's taken me to finally post this update - even my lack of photoshop inspiration to make gifs for the story. Since I have decided to quit those for now, updates will be speedier. I truly am sorry and I understand if lots of people dropped this fanfic. But for those who are actually still around, thank you so very much :'D**

* * *

Stiles, Scott, the Sheriff, and Agent McCall were standing at the edge of the clearing that held the camp – the bodies were already taken, the evidence being collected. Eva refused to let the baby go, and stole glances towards her standing by one of the squad cars, giving her testament to Parrish as she rocked the baby in her arms.

"So what exactly were you three doing in the reserve at this hour?" The Sheriff demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Stiles glanced at his father, before he turned to Scott, and nodded once; they had no other option but honesty if they were going to help Malia at all.

"We were…we found evidence that prove Malia is still out there." Stiles muttered, "We found a…den, and it had her clothes and her toy." Stiles started explaining, before Rafael interrupted, "How do you know that what you found were Malia's belongings?" He lifted a brow, giving Stiles a pointed look. Stiles swallowed nervously, not really knowing how to lie his way through to cover for his father.

"I…might have left some case files at home, where they could be easily found." The Sheriff started quickly, "But that's not important right now, what's important is you three might have gotten hurt." The Sheriff said seriously as he turned to the two boys and he gestured back to Eva, "I don't know why that man didn't shoot her, and I'm glad you two were smart enough not to surprise him, but from now on the reserve is off limits to any minor without supervision."

"I'm not a minor." Eva whispered, and the Sheriff turned back to look at her as she walked towards them with the sleeping baby in her arms. Stiles' lips fell slack, before he turned to Scott again and frowned. "What's going to happen to her now?" Eva asked, frowned as she rested her cheek against the top of the baby's head.

"We're going to search for any living relatives she has." The Sheriff started, "She's going to stay in our custody till then." He explained, his gaze softening somewhat when he saw the concern in Eva's eyes, "And if she doesn't have any?" Eva asked again.

"Then she gets into the system until a foster home takes her in." He sighed solemnly, and Eva nodded slowly before she looked down at her again. "You should give her to one of our deputies, Eva. She'll be okay." He tried to reassure her, his hand moving to press against her shoulder gently. Eva turned back to see Parrish holding his arms out, and Eva reluctantly handed him the baby.

"You should go home." The Sheriff finally said, then he turned to Stiles to glare at him, "And you, I'm going to talk to you tonight."

"Don't you want to see Malia's den?" Stiles asked hurriedly, and his father shook his head once, "You are going to explain to me all of that when we get home." The Sheriff told him sternly, before he turned to leave, and Stiles sighed heavily.

"Come on. Let's just leave." Scott muttered, his eyes flickering sideways to settle on Eva, whose eyes were glued to the ground underneath her. "Eva?" Scott started, and she looked up at him, before she nodded slowly. Scott and Stiles shared concerned stares before Stiles reached to take Eva's hand, "Come on, I'll take you home." Stiles mumbled as they moved through the outskirts of the reserve instead of through it back to where they had left the jeep. Scott bid them goodbye before he left with one of the squad cars, and the two watched him leave before Eva took a deep breath and turned to Stiles, "I don't want to go home. Can we go back to the station and check on the baby?"

"Eva," Stiles started, "She's not your responsibility. I'm sure she'll be fine." He tried to reassure her, but Eva shook her head, "That girl is an orphan. I could have done something, anything. Flung that gun out of his hand….Something." Eva whispered and started shaking her head as she looked up at Stiles, "Don't you dare say I couldn't have done something, because I could have."

Stiles watched as she turned away from him, her hands curled into fists at her sides, "If I hadn't been so reluctant to learn, I could have done something. But…I wasted weeks…" Eva shook her head slowly, her eyes welling up as the self-loathing and guilt burned through her veins. Stiles' eyes flickered around them when the soft breeze turned into intense gushes of wind. "Eva…" Stiles started, but she shut her eyes tightly and let the tears trail down her cheeks.

"You can't blame yourself for this" He started as he stepped towards her, trying to find the right words to make her feel better. "You couldn't have known. Anything either of us would have tried would have been dangerous. You saved a baby's life when you talked that man down. You couldn't have known he would do that." Stiles pleaded with her as he reached out to touch her wrist, "And the man killed his own wife….That baby is probably better off without him."

"He didn't do it on purpose." Eva whispered as she turned back to Stiles, "Did you hear what he was saying? Before he..." Eva took a deep breath and stared at him. Stiles frowned, "Yeah I did. He wasn't making any sense, Eva. He was probably out of his mind."

"No, no he wasn't." Eva shook her head slowly, "He was saying riddles. He kept whispering them over and over…Like the boy in Eichen House." Eva looked up at Stiles again, who lifted both brows, "All the more reason why I definitely believe he probably snapped." Stiles protested, and Eva shook her head. "There's definitely something about it…"

"You're overthinking this." Stiles started as his hands moved to the tops of her arms, "You're tired, and you're recovering from a concussion, and you just witnessed something no one ever should witness in their normal lives." Stiles whispered, "Let me just take you home, okay?"

"I don't want to go home." Eva shook her head in defeat, her head beginning to hurt from all the things that didn't make sense. "Can I stay over at your place?"

Stiles blinked, surprised, before he nodded slowly. His lips fell slack when he tried to answer her, and he let out a heavy breath before he started nodding quickly, reaching to scratch the back of his head with his hand, "Y-yeah, of course you can."

Eva waited out Stiles' reaction to her offer, and even smiled as she watched the blush spread on his cheeks. Eventually Stiles managed to go back to his not so normal self, and held the door open for her. The ride home was silent, and even when Eva had wanted desperately to tell Stiles all about Eichen House and what happened there and on afterwards, she just realized that she was barely even capable of keeping her lids up.

Eva was texting her father when they parked in front of the Stilinski household. She got out of the car, meeting Stiles in front of the hood to take his hand. Her father sent her an obviously angry text about how she should have told him earlier and how this was not okay, but Eva had to sigh, and she chose not to reply and just shut her phone.

"I think I have something lying around that you could sleep in." Stiles started once they walked into his room, and he started towards the wardrobe, going through the hangers and folded clothes. Eva shrugged off her jacket and stretched onto the tips of her toes to hang it behind the door, then turned back to see Stiles seemingly have such a hard time pick out something for her. "I can just sleep in what I'm wearing, Stiles." She started, but Stiles had immediately pulled out of the wardrobe, holding a shirt and a pair of shorts in both hands, hoisting them above his head in triumph. Eva laughed and shook her head as she reached for the clothes, "Thank you."

Eva held the clothes close to her chest, and pursed her lips as her eyes met Stiles', and she waited. Stiles seemed to stare back at her, before the realization dawned on him, and his eyes widened as he flushed, "Oh, yeah, I have to – God, I'm _so _sorry! I'm going to, yeah, okay." He rambled on as he hurried out of the room. Once he closed the door, he covered his face and shook his head slowly, "You're such an idiot." He whispered before he let his hands down to his sides and took a deep breath. He glanced around, before deciding they probably ought to eat something before they slept.

Stiles had little experience in the kitchen – two men living in one house was not easy, and they each learned their fair share of cook books. But given the time and the lack of grocery shopping, Stiles settled for two grilled cheese sandwiches and water, and also a memo that they needed groceries. He held up the glasses and the plates, each duo on either hand, as he made his way upstairs carefully. He stopped in front of the door, still closed, and he sighed, before he leaned forward to hit his forehead against the door twice.

Eva swung the door open, lifting both brows when she saw the visible red spot on his forehead, "The door isn't soundproof, you know." Eva laughed as she reached to take one of the plates and glasses from him, "You really didn't have to. I'm not hungry."

"Well, you're going to eat anyways." Stiles commented as he followed her inside, and let his eyes trail over his clothes that were now on her body. He felt a small smile stretch on his lips – the shorts were almost down to her ankles, and the shirt made her look so much tinier, and he couldn't help it. When Eva turned around after she sat on the edge of his bed and saw the way he was looking at her, she felt the apples of her cheeks redden, "I know I look ridiculous."

"You look adorable." Stiles corrected as he went down to sit beside her, "So…" He started quietly as he picked up his grilled cheese sandwich. "Is this our first date?"

Eva held her own sandwich close to her lips and she pulled her brows into a frown, before she let her eyes widen, "We never had a first date?" She asked, horrified.

"Unless you could the Valentine's Day a date, then nope, we haven't." Stiles shook his head once, "As a matter of fact." Stiles pulled out his phone and swiped through the application till he found the candle application, and he set the phone on the mattress beside them, "This is officially our first date."

Eva laughed a little and shook her head as she took a bite out of her sandwich, then looked down. "We've been through so much." Eva whispered before she looked up at Stiles again, "I…" She started, recalling the conversation they'd had earlier that night, "I'm sorry, Stiles. About what happened the other night, about what happened, and about-"

"Do I need to kiss you so you would shut up again?" Stiles pointed out, and Eva bit onto her lower lip guiltily. Stiles sighed and set his sandwich down, "I didn't say all those things to make you feel guilty, or guilt you into not breaking up with me, because I can be pathetic like that."

"You didn't." Eva shook her head quickly, "You know I was trying to do that to protect you, but it was killing me."

"I know." Stiles breathed out, "I said those things because I wanted you to know how I felt." Stiles mumbled and shrugged once, "I wanted to share with you, and I wanted you to share with me. I don't want us to drift apart because of all this. It tore Allison and Scott apart and I don't want that for us." Stiles whispered, his voice full of resolve. Eva smiled and nodded slowly, before her eyes flickered down to her sandwich again and she took another bite.

After a moment of silence, both of them busy with their sandwiches, Stiles set the empty plates on the nightstand. "I'm gonna go change." He told her as he took his clothes and headed to the bathroom. Eva glanced around, before she picked up the plates and glasses and headed downstairs.

When Stiles had walked back into the room, his jaw dropped as he stared at the candles literally floating in the air, all lit. Eva stood by his bed, her arms tucked behind her back as she smiled broadly, "Don't worry; none of them are close to your desk, or the wall, or any flammables in the room." Eva assured him before she glanced around at the candles, and she looked back at him, "And I'll make sure they don't drop wax on your floor." Eva added before she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"You're doing that?" Stiles gestured around them as he stepped towards her, and lifted both brows. Eva nodded slowly, "I mean, I'm still learning and that's nothing, but…yeah…You were right. Tonight was too much to handle. And I'm going to try this time, try harder to share how I feel, and you said do what feels right, right?" Eva rambled, "And it felt like this _is _our first date. And I'm cheesy, I know, but-" Eva continued, but Stiles had closed the distance between them, pressing his lips down to hers as his hands rested on the curve of her waist.

He pulled away to look down at her, a loop-sided smile spreading on his lips as he gazed down at her in awe, "You know what?" He muttered, as he brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "I like cheese."

Eva laughed a little, "Good." She whispered before she leaned up on the tips of her toes to press her lips to his again. Stiles wrapped his arms around her to hold her close, their bodies pressed flush against each other's. And just before they toppled back onto the bed, Eva flicked her wrist, and the candles went out as they dropped to the ground.

* * *

It had been a total of three days since the accident in the reserve – and it had been four days since Eva had been to Eichen House. After what happened, Eva was completely uneasy about going back. As a matter of fact, she barely even thought about happened at Eichen House anymore, or even what happened in the woods – even when she asked about the baby girl. Eva had a more important matter at hand, a matter so important and dangerous that it completely occupied her mind.

Going back to school.

Eva was the town's new talk – sure it had been almost a month since she'd been to school, but she knew that once she walked down those halls again, she'd become news of the moment again, and she didn't want to.

"The most important thing to remember is to always keep your head held high. You went through a near death experience and you survived, you should be proud of that." Lydia rambled on as she looked between Allison and Eva's seats, "And you lost like seven pounds, so people are going to stare at you anyways. You look better than ever, Eva Davis."

Allison glanced sideways at Eva and smiled, "You'll be fine." The girl told her, giving her a warm smile before she turned her attention back to the road, "It's not easy, but it'll get better." Allison reassured her, and Eva nodded slowly before she took a deep breath. In the past three days, they'd all been doing their best to help Eva catch up – she didn't want to be terribly behind, and she didn't miss much because gratefully she'd already studied the novel back in Maine and she had a good head on her shoulders when it came to everything else.

"Okay…" Eva breathed out as they parked in the school's parking lot, and Eva slowly stepped out. Her eyes flickered across the building before she glanced sideways at Allison and Lydia. "Eva!" She looked back to see Kira running up to them, and she wrapped her friend in a hug, squeezing her tightly, "I'm so glad you're back!" Kira chirped, before she turned to the other two girls. "The bell's about to ring, come on."

The girls walked through the hall, and everyone made way for them – the group had history. Allison with her psychotic aunt and her 'mentally ill' mother, Lydia with running around the woods for two days, naked, and Eva, well, with everything that had happened to her lately. Kira seemed to be the only semi-normal girl in the group of four. Eva could feel the eyes burn into the back of her head as she passed, but no one dared to look her right in the eye, except this one girl who lingered by the door to chemistry lab. She even smiled at Eva, and Eva blinked, tilting her head before she managed to reciprocate in what little time was left before they passed.

Eventually they split, each girl heading to her locker. "You guys looked like Mean Girls." Stiles commented as he leaned against the lockers, and grinned as Eva glared at him, "I think the situation is completely the opposite." Eva whispered nervously before she pulled out the history text book from the locker and turned to Stiles, "It was like they were digging holes into my skin."

Stiles sighed, his attempt at a joke failing miserably to cheer her up. He reached out and took her hand, "Just ignore it. Ignore the whispers and the stares, mostly because I'm weak and if I punch one of those girls now," Stiles poked his thumb over his shoulder at the girls who were having a go in whispers over at Eva's situation, before he whispered as well, "Their boyfriends will probably break my neck." Stiles joked again, and Eva let her lips stretch into a weak smile, "I'll try."

"In all seriousness, though." Stiles started, "I can totally punch anyone for you. I would." Eva shook her head as she chuckled, "Let's just get to class."

"You're Eva, right?" The girl Eva had made eye contact with earlier walked up to her and smiled, "I'm Scarlet. I'm new, but I heard about what happened." She started, "But I wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss, and you're really brave. And you should probably ignore everything being said about you, I know it's not true."

Eva smiled, and almost thanked the girl, before she frowned, "Wait, everything being said about me?" Eva asked, shaking her head slowly before she looked up at Stiles, "What's being said about me?"

Stiles' eyes widened as he looked down and scratched the back of his head, "Well about the whole you being a jinx." Scarlet explained as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, "You know, that camp site you guys found a few days ago, and the patient at the hospital and his dad. "

"People think they're dead because of me…" Eva breathed out, her face losing color, and Scarlet frowned, "Oh…crap, I thought you knew. When I overheard him say you should ignore the whispers, I thought you knew." She stepped back slowly, "I am…so sorry." Scarlet's eyes quickly drifted to the ground as she hurried away from them, the bell ringing too. Eva drew in a deep breath, pulling her hand out of Stiles' hold, "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"Because I knew that you would think it might be true." Stiles sighed as he looked down at her, "Eva, if you could see the look on your face right now, you would understand, just-"

"Stop." Eva whispered, but not because she wanted him to shut up, it was because she could hear something. "Eva-" She turned to glared at him, and then faced forward again, her eyes flickering across the empty hallway again. It slowly started getting louder, and when Eva recognized what it was; she realized it was the same humming that she'd heard in the reserve three days ago. The sickening child's lullaby that was being hummed, and now was echoing inside the school.

Eva didn't hesitate – she took off in a sprint after the source. Whatever was happening, she wasn't about to let it. She heard Stiles call after her, but Eva couldn't stop – until she turned into a hallway and saw Lydia standing in front of her, "You hear it." Lydia whispered, "The humming."

"I do." Eva gulped, before their eyes drifted down to the ground, and Eva recognized the object that was on the floor just as Stiles came to a stop behind her. "Is that…"

"That's the doll. Malia's sister. That her sister's doll." Stiles finished, and just as he did, they heard the growls behind them. Stiles stepped back, and pulled Eva behind him to shield her as their eyes laid on the werecoyote standing by the entrance, her teeth bared and her eyes glowing. "Eva…" Lydia whispered, and when Eva turned to her, she saw Lydia peering inside the chemistry class' door, "There's someone in there…" Lydia whispered, and she frowned, "She's…she's making something."

"I don't think someone messing around in chemistry class is important right now, Lydia." Stiles whispered, his voice shaking somewhat as he still held his arms in front of Eva, both of them watching as the animal seemingly glared at them then walked past them.

"It should be because she's making a bomb!" Lydia whisper shouted, and her statement dragged Eva and Stiles' attention back to her, "What?! Are you sure?!"

"Yes, I am!" Lydia shot him a glare before she pressed her hand against the door knob slowly, "Hello…hey…"

The animal was still walking towards the doll, and Lydia was right in front of it, if not moving towards it as she tried to talk to the person inside the chemistry lab. "She's not listening to me." Lydia shook her head, "She's saying something but it doesn't make any sense." Eva frowned, her eyes flickering nervously between the werecoyote and Lydia, "What is she saying?"

"Does it matter?!" Stiles whispered incredulously, and Eva shot her elbow against his side as she ducked out of his hold to look at Lydia, "What she saying, Lydia?"

"At night I come without being fetched, at day I leave without being stolen." Lydia looked up at Eva, shaking her head slowly, "Lydia step back." Eva started as she ran towards her, her eyes falling on the werecoyote who standing almost directly in front of the lab's door, "Step back!" Eva screamed as she skidded to the ground, her arms wrapped around the animal's torso as she barreled into her with all the might Eva had to push her out of the way. She heard Stiles yell in the background, but it all happened so fast, because the explosion blew the glass on the door, and the windows inside the class room.

Eva felt the coyote move underneath her, and she opened her eyes, trying to move away from her quickly but her head was spinning. The fire alarm had went off, apparently, but Eva couldn't hear it – the only sound she could hear was the deafening, painful ringing in her ears. Her eyes finally focused, and within the cloud of dust and smoke around her, she saw the pair of blue glows stare into her eyes, before she felt the wetness against her cheek as the werecoyote licked it, then she picked up the doll, and sprinted away.

Eva blinked, before she looked around, "Stiles!" She coughed as the water from the sprinklers started to clear out her vision and the hallway. She saw silhouettes in the hallways, students flooding out of the school, but she called out again, "Stiles! Lydia!"

She felt someone grab her arm and looked back, saw Scott, his lips were moving but she couldn't hear him. "I can't…I can't hear you…" She whispered, "Stiles, I can't find him, and Lydia…They were here…" Scott frowned as he turned away from her, then she saw his eyes glow red. Scott moved his hands holding Eva's as he guided her through the debris, and they found Lydia curled behind a row of lockers. "What about Stiles?!" Eva yelled, even though she couldn't hear herself, she knew she was yelling.

Scott leaned down beside Lydia, and his eyes saw the blood trailing from her ears, before he picked her up on her feet slowly – however, his heart was still pounding against his check. He knew Stiles' scent, he caught it– it was strong. Too strong. So strong that Scott knew his friend had gotten hurt.

Scott saw Eva move away just as Kira and Allison appeared, both of them helping Lydia up on her feet, "What happened?" Allison asked, and Scott shook his head, "I have no idea! I came out when the alarm went off!"

Allison's eyes flickered down at Lydia, "I have to get her out of here, where are Stiles and Eva?"

"They were…Eva was just here, and Stiles, I don't know where he is." Scott whispered, his voice beginning to shake as the concern took the better of him.

"He's there, I can see him." Kira whispered, her eyes glowing their bright orange, and Scott looked back, using his enhanced vision too to see Eva hunched on the ground over someone, and not just anyone.

Stiles.


	11. Riddle Me This

**A/N:**

**As previously promised - the updates will become more regular. I know I ask for too much, but some reviews would be great, even though I don't deserve them seeing as I might have lost a bunch of you during my lack of updates. However, for those who stuck around, I love so very much for being so patient. I hope the story is living up to your expectations so far. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm fine."

Stiles protested over and over again as Eva's eyes flickered across his chest hurriedly – Stiles was sitting at the edge of the ambulance's rig outside of the school. No one had gotten hurt, except for the girl who made the bomb – _that_ girl was dead.

And when they'd found Stiles, he was passed out on the ground – with a gash hidden underneath his messy hair that bled visibly across his forehead. Of course, that was enough to freak the hell out of Eva. "Shut up." She muttered, her hands moving over his shoulders and tracing down his arms, before she looked up at the paramedic who was treating the gash on Stiles' head, one that would need to be stitched once they got to the hospital, "Are you sure he's fine? No other cuts? No suspicious bruises?"

"Eva-" Stiles started protesting again, "Shut up." Eva whispered again as she looked up at the paramedic, a persistent frown on her face begging for confirmation. Eventually, the woman was done and turned to her, "He's okay. We'll just take him back to the hospital and make sure the hit on his head wasn't that serious and stitch him up." She assured her, and Eva nodded slowly before she glanced back at Scott, who visibly let out a relieved sigh, then nodded at her slowly.

"You guys are worrying too much." Stiles insisted as he pulled on his plaid shirt and buttoned it up, "We shouldn't even be worrying about any of this right now. We should be worrying about something else." Stiles pointed out, trying to blink away the headache that came with the local anesthesia that numbed his scalp.

"How could I possibly worry about anything else when I saw you on the ground, bleeding?" Eva protested as both she and Scott took Stiles' hands to help him up on his feet then into the ambulance. Stiles glanced sideways at her, a small smile curling on his lips, before he took a deep breath and let the smile drop quickly before she saw it, "Obviously, we need to be looking into the fact that she kept saying riddles."

Eva's concern was of course clouding her thinking – her mind couldn't exactly follow what Stiles was saying. Scott, however, had had a look of realization wash over his face, "Like the man in the preserve, and that guy in Eichen House."

Eva and Scott had just helped Stiles sit on the stretcher, before Eva sat down beside him and pursed her lips, almost ashamed the thought hadn't crossed her mind. In that moment, Eva was too concerned with Lydia and Stiles' safety, and with Malia's too – Malia who disappeared with the doll. Malia, whom they needed to help. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I can't think of this right now, Stiles. You're hurt." Eva whispered as she looked up at him, her eyes pleading for him not to start with this, not now at least.

Stiles stared at her, the thoughts bouncing inside his head, begging to be freed, before he eventually heaved a sigh that made his head pound again. "Right, of course." He nodded once, and Eva took a deep breath, before she tried to force a brief smile on her lips. She turned away just as the paramedic told them that only one of them was allowed on the ambulance with Stiles, and Scott immediately got off, smiling at the both of them as the doors were shut.

"Your dad will meet us by the hospital." Eva assured Stiles as she reached out to take his hand, "He just had to rush off and take a report of what happened." Eva explained as she looked up at Stiles, before she frowned when she saw the way he looked at her, "You know that's what he's doing and you don't need reassurance." She finally deduced, and licked her lips nervously before she looked down, "I'm sorry, I'm just…when I saw you on the ground-"

"I'm fine, Eva, okay?" Stiles started again as his grip on her hand tightened, and he reached over to tuck his index finger underneath her chin to lift her gaze to his, and he let that same loop-sided grin appear on his face, "Now you know." He teased, and Eva scowled as she reached over to slap his hand away. Stiles laughed, before he feigned a hurt expression. Eva eventually scooted close to him so she could wrap her arms around his torso. Stiles smiled to himself as he laid on arm around her shoulders, his cheek resting against the top of her head, reciprocating the paramedic's awed gazes with genuine smiles of his own.

The trip to the hospital was not a long one – but seeing as the 'patient' on it was not an urgent case, they didn't need to siren their way through the crowds and the afternoon traffic.

Melissa was the one who met them by the door, a worried expression taking over her face as the rig's doors opened, and the paramedics insisted on wheeling in Stiles on the stretcher. Eva waited until he stubbornly got off the stretcher and hopped onto the cot in the emergency room on his own, before Melissa proceeded to assess the wound.

"It won't take a lot of stitches, but I'll have to give you another round of anesthesia because it's fading away now." She mumbled, before she glanced around and called for one of the residents to work on the gash on Stiles' head. "I am not allowed do the stitches because I'm just a nurse myself." She explained apologetically, and she could Eva's face visibly fall, so she quickly assured her, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"I keep telling her that." Stiles grinned, almost sounding giddy at the fact that Eva was so worried. Eva shook her head slowly as she reached out to take his hand again when the resident had gotten around, "Can you not…I'll be fine." Stiles started insisting now, even though Eva could see his eyes widen at the sight of the needle. Her eyes flickered to Stiles' face again, and he quickly shook his head. "Fine…Just…holler if you need me." Eva muttered as she leaned over to kiss his cheek carefully and stepped away.

The first thing she did was search for Scott, who didn't arrive yet. She stepped out of the emergency room and glanced around the parking lot just as she saw the dirt bike appear in the distance, closing in at the entrance of the parking lot.

"Hey, are they stitching him up now?" Scott asked hurriedly, his eyes flickering to the hospital before he looked down at Eva again, tucking his helmet onto the clutch.

"He didn't want me to see him get the stitches." Eva shook her head slowly, fairly irritated by the fact before she started, "What took you so long to get here?" She asked first, pulling her brows into a frown.

"I was making sure Lydia was okay." Scott started, and Eva stared at him, almost appalled she completely forgot to ask about Lydia, "Lydia…yeah, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Kira took her home." Scott nodded quickly, and tilted his head when he saw the expression on Eva's face. "What about…Malia? Lydia said she...it...She was there."

"She was." Eva whispered, her eyes drifting to the ground as she chewed on her lower lip. "I pushed her out of the way, away from the explosions, and she...left. She licked my cheek and left with the doll." Eva explained and looked up at Scott again, "We need to find a way to help her." Eva started, "We need to figure out the connection between all of these people killing themselves."

"I thought you said you were too worried to think about this now." Scott frowned, and Eva shook her head slowly, "I didn't want Stiles to get involved. It's going to unnecessarily hurt his head and I think he's had enough of that."

Scott chewed on the inside of his cheek, "He's not going to like us playing Sherlock without him."

"We'll fill him in once I make sure my boyfriend doesn't have a concussion or a brain bleed." Eva protested, stomping her foot a little to get her point across. "We need to gather information about all of them. How do we do that?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked up at Scott pointedly.

"By looking through their social records." Scott nodded, gazing off into the distance as he struggled to catch up to what Eva was saying.

"And where can we find their social records?" Eva pressed, watching as Scott frowned, reaching out to scratch the back of his head. "Medical records, Scott. Especially ones that were made postmortem."

"Mom." Scott breathed out, and Eva nodded, breathing out a small sigh.

"Would that get her into trouble?" Eva asked, "We can't ask Stiles' dad because…" Eva let her voice trail off, and Scott nodded solemnly as he looked down, "Because my dad is trying to put him out of a job."

"And you know I don't want your mom to get into trouble cause of a suggestion I made." Eva started again, and Scott pressed his lips into a thin line, "My mom has done a lot crazier things that pulling up records is actually…nothing in comparison." Scott muttered, before he frowned to himself, "I need to get my mom away from this."

Eva waited patiently for Scott to make his decision, looking back at the glass doors every now and then to catch a glimpse of Stiles, eyes shut tightly as the resident hovered above his head.

"Okay." Scott finally breathed out, "You're right. We need to figure out what this all means, and we need to collect information to make the links."

"We also need to figure out a way to bring back Malia." Eva added to the list, biting on the corner of her lips.

Scott nodded slowly, thought she could already tell that he had something stirring up in his head. "We need to go check on Stiles." Eva whispered as she reached over to nudge Scott's arm, and he eventually nodded.

"Hey, Scotty!" Stiles exclaimed as the two of them approached him, and Eva's eyes widened, her eyes flickering to the resident. "He's on a high dose of pain medication; he wouldn't stop complaining of the pain once I started stitching." He explained, "He's pretty much high." He cleared up as he wrote something into the file in his hands and left.

"Stiles?" Eva tilted her head as she stepped towards him, "Eva! Evangeline! My beautiful girlfriend!" Stiles hollered as he reached out to brush her hair behind her ears despite his state, "You're so beautiful." He sighed as he stroked his thumbs across her cheeks. Eva let out a small laugh, glancing sideways at Scott who had his fist pressed against his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Oh, don't be sad, Scott! You're beautiful too…" Stiles slurred as he dropped his hands and reached out for Scott, who shook his head slowly as he reached out to grab Stiles' arms, "I think you need to lie down, man."

"I really think you do." Eva agreed as she wrapped one arm around Stiles' shoulders so they could ease him back into the bed.

"But I don't want to sleep." Stiles sighed dramatically, and Eva smiled a bit as she peered up at Scott.

"You probably should sleep a little to kill time." Scott's mom announced her presence, "And we'll move you to a private exam room. It'll be hours before you get that MRI – it's completely backed up now and you could use the rest."

"I thought he shouldn't be unconscious until you guys make sure he's completely fine." Eva started worrying again, and Scott's expression shifted too as he turned his attention to his mother, who took over for Scott, helping Stiles lie down. "His blood work came back balanced and he did well on the initial tests. He probably just needs to rest now." Melissa assured them as she lifted the covers to bring over Stiles' figure, "So you should just close your eyes and sleep for a while, okay kid?"

"Yeah, okay." Stiles eventually pouted, before he closed his eyes and pulled the blanket up to his chest so he could lay his arms over his chest, "Thanks, Mom."

Eva's eyes flickered down to Stiles, almost completely asleep now, his lips slack and his eyes shut – but there was a small smile curled on his lips as he fell asleep. Her eyes moved up to Melissa's face, which twisted a little in pain, before she forced a soft smile as she brushed Stiles' hair back, then moved so she could move the bed from the curtained compartments to the private rooms, both Eva and Scott helping her.

Melissa tucked Stiles' folder into the door as she closed it quietly, before she turned to Scott and Eva and smiled briefly. It took them a moment before someone could actually break the silence, "Mom…" Scott coughed as he scratched the back of his head, "We kind of need your help with something." Scott peered at his mother almost shyly, and Eva almost immediately started wringing her hands together as she waited for Melissa to react.

The first thing Melissa did was move them away from the room's door, before she turned to them, the maternal expression on her face gone, replaced by a tactical one, a very serious one, "How can I help?"

"Well," Eva started as she swallowed thickly, "As you know…I've been at all the recent suicides." Eva whispered, that girl, Scarlet's, words ringing in her head. Eva had to close her eyes to stay focused, "All of them, they seemed to keep…saying those riddles." Eva started, "The boy at Eichen house, the guy at the camp, and apparently the girl from the school, the one who caused the explosion."

"So there has to be some kind of connection between them." Melissa deduced, and Scott nodded once, "I don't think it's random, and I don't think they're suicides either." Eva started again, "Something is doing this."

"Can something cause people to do this?" Scott asked, frowning, and Eva shrugged once, "There could be." Eva started again, "I need to start looking, but I need to have the information first." That's when Eva turned to Scott's mom with a small frown on her face, "I don't want you to get in trouble and I don't even know if we'll find anything but it could be something. There could be a clue." Eva almost sounded desperate, and she didn't understand where all that desperation came from, but it was there, and it was gnawing at her.

"Of course I'll help you." Melissa muttered as she looked between the two of them.

* * *

An hour later, they had the files laid out on the ground, Eva and Scott hunched over them. Melissa had left them in there and locked the door, and no one has tried to come in ever since.

"Nothing." Eva looked up at Scott again, "They have absolutely nothing in common." Eva ran her hand through her hair, tugging a bit at it before she sat up, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"So they're random? That doesn't make any sense." Scott started as he looked up at her, his hands moving the files aside. "Did you read the postmortem reports?" Scott muttered after a long silence, his eyes moving over a paper that Eva was sure she hadn't looked at. She scooted closer to him, "No, no, I haven't, what's in them?"

"They found a strange looking bruise on all the bodies." Scott muttered as he glanced sideways at Eva, "All of them?" She lifted both brows, eyes widening as she reached for a file to look at, then handed it to Scott to take the one he had and read it.

"We need to see those bruises." Eva started as she set the file she had in her hand on the ground, and Scott frowned. "That could be our clue, Scott."

"But what if it's just a different bruise?" Scott asked, and Eva stared at him, "Three suicides, all whispering riddles before they killed themselves and now they possibly can share the same odd looking bruise? It's not really a longshot."

Scott eventually sighed, "You're right." He looked at the ground before glancing sideways at Eva again, "You're aware these bruises are on dead bodies, right? Bodies that are in the morgue."

Eva gulped and nodded slowly, "I'm aware." She looked down before she started arranging the files just the way they were before she pushed herself up off the ground, "We need to see those bruises." Eva muttered as she looked up at Scott who'd stood up as well.

As if on cue, the door's lock clicked, and Scott nodded once to assure Eva it was his mom.

"Did you find what you need?" She asked as she walked in and closed the door. Eva glanced up at Scott, before the boy nodded. "Kind of." He muttered, "We need to see their bodies." Eva nodded wordlessly, but quickly, her eyes wide to stress the seriousness of the situation. Melissa flickered her gaze between them before she heaved a sigh as she reached for the files to put them back where they were, "You kids have seen too much dead bodies at such young age."

Eva and Scott glanced sideways at each other, the weight of Melissa' statement falling on them, and they frowned simultaneously. It was true – they'd been through way too much for kids their age, and even when Eva had just hopped onto the roller coaster, it alarmed her that she could barely remember what it felt like to just be a high school student, a normal teenager.

But they eventually followed Melissa out to the elevators down stairs, "The bodies are still here because the funerals are still being planned." Melissa explained, "One of them was supposed to be moved to a funeral home by the end of the day." Eva looked up at Scott, who widened his eyes and breathed out a small sigh. Those bruises needed to be the key to what they needed because this was probably their last chance.

Eva almost hesitated as she stared at the sign that said, "Morgue." Before she took a deep breath – it wasn't the first body she'd seen, and she had a sick feeling those three wouldn't be the last. She walked in, the coldness of the room running shivers up her spine as if someone had poured a bucked of iced water on her. Eva wrapped her arms around herself as she followed Scott's mom inside, watched as the woman put on gloves and handed each of them a pair.

Eva stood opposite from the first 'drawer', "This is the boy from Eichen house." Melissa started as she looked up at Eva, before she pulled out the body, and Eva pursed her lips as she tried to control her gag reflex, her eyes staring down at the boy's face, paled, his lips blue. She realized she'd been staring at his face too long when she felt her vision blur with the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"Eva? Are you okay?" Melissa started, reaching out to cover the body again.

"Wait," Eva whispered, her voice barely over a whisper. She closed her eyes in attempt to contain the tears, "Let's just see that bruise." Eva muttered hurriedly as she looked up at Scott, who nodded quickly. Scott too lost color from his face, but he didn't seem as shaken up as Eva was. He reached over the body to hold his fore arm and turn him on his side just as Eva leaned down to eye the 'odd' bruise on his back.

Odd was definitely an understatement.

Eva was staring at a line that ran vertically along the center of his back, just above his spine. Not exactly a line – it was…cut off at various spots, then completely erased with only dots remaining to keep the line there. It was almost as if someone was trying to draw on this boy's back with a pen that barely had any ink left in it. Eva quickly brought out her phone and took a photo, before she stood up again and turned away as Scott adjusted the body and Melissa pushed it back into its place inside the compartment.

Eva had to take a deep breath and cover her face momentarily, before she tried to shake out her arms and swallow down the lump in her throat. She could do this, she had to do this. "Eva, are you okay?" Melissa insisted as she stepped towards her, and Eva nodded as she turned back to her, "I'm fine." Eva answered her, her voice croaking, before she cleared her throat and started again, sounding clearer this time, "I'm fine."

Next was the man in the camp – one that Eva actually talked to and could have saved. This one was harder to look down at and acknowledge. But she did it – she swallowed down the nausea and the guilt and took the photo of very much the exact same bruise on his back.

"Jane Doe?" Eva asked, recalling that the girl from the class room was named Jane Doe in the file.

"She's…unrecognizable." Melissa muttered as she opened the compartment and pulled out the body. "But her back is unscathed." Melissa looked up at them before she took a deep breath. When Eva mimicked her, she was hit with the sickening scent of burnt flesh, but there were chemicals in the mix that made it smell like as if it were rotting when it wasn't. The smell made Eva's stomach churn, both she and Scott turned away as Melissa uncovered the body.

It was Melissa who lifted the body on its side so Eva could take the photo. But for some reason, Eva didn't turn away when Melissa was covering it again. "Oh god…" Eva let out a weak whimper as her hands moved to cover her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears that finally spilled over as she stared down at the girl. Melissa quickly pushed the body back in just as Scott wrapped his arm around Eva's shoulders to guide her out of the morgue.

Scott sat Eva down on one of the seat rows scattered in the hallways, before he knelt down in front of her. "Mom," Scott called out when he noted the loss of color on her face, and her shoulders rising and falling quick, as well as her heart that couldn't find a steady rhythm.

"Eva," Melissa hurried quickly to kneel down in front of her, Scott scooting out of the way watch Eva with worried eyes. "Eva, sweetheart, open your eyes, sweetie. Look at me." Melissa started, her voice holding the concern and authority of a mother. She reached out to hold to girl's face in her hands, her brows creasing when she felt the cold sweat that had broken out on her body. "Eva, open your eyes."

"I could have saved them." Eva breathed out as she opened her eyes, her wide hazel hues finding Melissa's gentle brown ones, "I could have saved all of them."

It was as if seeing their bodies was the confirmation Eva needed – the situations would have been different if she'd actually known how to use her powers. Or if she had the instinct to do so. But she didn't. Eva was weak and vulnerable, and completely helpless and useless to people around her.

She could barely even acknowledge Melissa' words of comfort or Scott's worried gaze. It was all clear in her head now. Eventually, Eva's eyes focused on Melissa, who was struggling to get the girl's attention, "Is Stiles still asleep?" She whispered, and Melissa frowned before she nodded slowly.

"Okay…" Eva got up slowly, even though her knees were almost knocking together, she refused the help. "We need to figure out what those bruises mean." Eva looked up at Scott, who still stared down at her in concern, "I'll send the photos to you and you take them to Deaton."

"What about you?" Melissa asked, and Scott too turned to her, both of them staring at her with the worried gazes. Eva's eyes flickered between the two of them before she took a deep breath, "I need to know whether someone else is going to get hurt or not. And if so…then I need to know how so I can stop it."

"How are you going to do that?" Melissa frowned, but Scott seemed to get it. He turned to Eva and breathed out,

"Lydia."


	12. Unpaid Debt

**A/N:**

**Not late per se but better than two months, right? I've been feeling very inspired since I watched the season 5 trailer and I have been writing non stop the season 4 story. I have a feeling you will LOVE it. But yes, let's focus. The fun is just about to begin, and so many things will make sense. You just wait for it.**

**I won't ramble, but, but, but, reviews? Please? Thank you-**

* * *

Eva hopped off Scott's dirt bike and turned to him as she handed him the extra helmet, "I sent Deaton the photos and hopefully by the time you go to him he'll have something." Eva started, then nervously licked her lips as she turned to glance over her shoulder at the Martin household. Scott tucked the helmet back in before he turned to her, "Eva," He started, and the brunette flickered her gaze back to his, her hazel hues holding an odd intensity that Scott never seen before.

"That makes me sound like a hypocrite, but," He took a deep breath, "You couldn't have saved these people, even if you wanted to. You couldn't have."

Eva frowned a little, shaking her head slowly, "Of course I could have…I have…all this power."

"I know how that feels like." Scott muttered quietly, "I know what it feels like to have so much power, but to be too scared to use it because you might just go too far, and cross the line that keeps you human." Scott summed up what Eva had been feeling, before he let a small smile curl on his lips, "It's how I've been feeling ever since I became an alpha. Ever since Ducaleon told me what I could be capable of. Ever since I saw what he did. You saw what your aunt did. And that scares you." Scott finally breathed out, "You couldn't have saved them."

"Does it still scare you?" She whispered after a long moment, setting aside that they could be running on a clock right now.

"It does. It always has." Scott shrugged a little, "Especially now."

"Why now?" Eva frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she shifted her weight on her legs.

"Because…" Scott started quietly, then shrugged, "Because my anchor was Allison, and she kept me human. And I don't have Allison anymore." Scott peered up Eva slowly, "Right now I just try to keep in mind that I need to protect all of you. That you're my pack, my family, and it's my responsibility. That's what keeps me human. My mom told me to be own anchor. So there's that as well. I just don't know how long it might work."

Eva's eyes drifted to the ground, her chest rising as she took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "We're freaking spiderman." Eva mumbled, and looked up at Scott again. Eventually, they both chuckled. "With great power comes great responsibility." Scott quoted off the comic, then reached out to take her hand, "Just don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

Eva nodded slowly, before she stepped forward when Scott tugged at her arm. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, her own arms reciprocating, before she eventually pulled away, "Thanks, Scott." She smiled at him, before she took another step back as he put on his helmet and sped away.

Eva breathed out before she looked down at her phone, texting Kira. She told her to meet here so they could all head to Lydia's place, but when Kira sent no replies back, Eva turned around and stomped her way along the driveway and up to the porch, where she rang the bell once.

Lydia opened the door, her eyes meeting Eva's before she gave her a silent consent as she stepped aside. Eva walked in to find Allison waiting behind Lydia, "Isaac just told me he was heading to Deaton's." She announced, "So are Aiden and Ethan." Lydia added, and Eva nodded, "Good."

Before anything, Eva turned to Lydia and frowned, "How are you? Are you okay?" Eva asked, and Lydia shrugged once as she let a corner of her mouth stretch into a small smile. "I've had better days." Lydia's expression immediately shifted, "Look, I don't know much…about how this works. I never paid attention to it, not until all those murders began happening again anyways."

Allison and Eva exchanged worried glanced before they turned to Lydia, "What do you feel?" Allison asked, and Lydia pressed her lips into a hard line before she gestured for the two brunettes to follow her up the stairs to her room. She brought out a small notebook and held it out to Eva, "It's not what I've been feeling," Lydia started, "It's what I've been writing."

Eva frowned as she felt her fingers curl around the notebook's spine hesitantly, her eyes drifting up to Allison's face, before she opened the notebook and looked down. "I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky…I" Eva sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes trailed over the rest of the riddle, "Oh my god."

"Eva?" Allison frowned, and Lydia's eyes flickered nervously between the two brunettes.

"That's…" Eva swallowed thickly and closed her eyes, "That's the riddle…the boy in Eichen House kept saying before he hung himself." Eva finally recalled, even though it seemed as though Eva was clawing the memory out of the deepest pits of her mind. She flipped through the first twenty or thirty pages, all filled with the same riddle until it shifted, "We follow, we lead…" Eva closed her eyes, her throat closing up as her eyes trailed over the rest of the riddle, before she flipped through the pages until she found the third riddle, "At night I come without being fetched, at day I leave without being stolen."

Eva almost closed the notebook, "Turn the pages." Lydia instructed, and Eva looked up at her, frowning, before she flipped through the pages until she read the single line that was written almost exactly in the middle of the page, only once.

"Everyone has it but no one can lose it."

Eva looked up at Lydia and shook her head slowly, "These riddles have to mean something."

Allison chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked up when she heard the doorbell ring. The girls moved in unison downstairs, allowing Lydia to open the door. However, when the girl stepped back almost immediately, Eva knew it wasn't Kira, and she stepped forward to see the one person she actually harbored feelings of hatred towards.

As if on instinct, Allison stepped in front of her friends, her height almost hovering over the short two. "What are you doing here, Peter?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I couldn't help but over hear you girls having a slumber party, and I decided to pop in and ask if you needed anything. Pillows, maybe cucumber slices? Nose strips?" Peter rolled his eyes, before his eyes found Eva's, "I'm here to cash in my favor."

"I don't have time now." Eva spat back almost immediately, and Peter sighed heavily, before his eyes flickered to Lydia, "I had a lovely talk with your mother today."

"You stay away from my mom." Lydia whispered through her teeth, glaring up at him as well.

"It's sad to see all the potential in the room go to waste." Peter gestured between Eva and Lydia, almost ignore Allison's presences as she stood protectively in front of them. "You said that before." Eva whispered, narrowing her eyes.

"Are we really going to talk on the doorstep?" Peter started, quirking a brow as his eyes settled over Lydia, "Aren't you going to invite me in, little Banshee? Like I invited you into my house." Peter pointed out, and Eva saw the visible shudder on Lydia's form, before the girl eventually pushed past Allison, stomping towards the door to hold it open, all the while glaring at him.

"When did girls barely over five feet become so feisty?" Peter let a cocky smile spread over his lips as he walked in, making himself comfortable on the couch. Allison grabbed both Lydia and Eva's wrists and shook her head once, "I don't trust him."

"Neither do we. We just want to see what he wants so we can get on with what we need to do." Eva whispered, then turned to Lydia, who nodded slowly. Allison had no weapons on her, so she grabbed the fireplace poker and held it in a firm grip, standing beside Peter as Eva &amp; Lydia stood across from him, the coffee table between them.

"I know how banshees work." Peter started quietly, "There was a reason why I was after you this whole time, Lydia." Peter explained, propping his ankle onto his knee, leaning his arms back onto the couch's back rest. "See, you were supposed to help me exactly with what I'm supposed to ask Eva to do for me. I just didn't expect you to take so long…to learn."

"I don't exactly have a manual." Lydia whispered bitterly, and Peter sighed, "You have me." He smiled cloyingly.

"The last time you and I spent a moment together…I was bleeding out on a lacrosse field." Lydia muttered ever so satirically, though Eva had reached out to take her hand, while Allison held her stance beside Peter, her eyes on him like a hawk.

"You really think I was trying to kill you when I bit you?" Peter whispered as he rose to his feet, "You were my back up plan, remember. Also it was my bite that brought your nascent abilities. You think power like that would have come out on its own?" Peter clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and almost winked, his voice shifting into a somewhat southern accent, "I'm the spark that lit your fire, sweetheart."

"You attacked her and nearly killed her." Allison countered, "Power doesn't come without a little pain." Peter turned to her.

"I didn't ask for it." Lydia lifted a brow, her hand holding Eva's tightly.

"But you're embracing it now aren't you?" Peter whispered, smiling as he moved around the table towards her.

"How about the time you brainwashed her and used her to bring yourself back to life?" Allison muttered she moved as well, the fire poker still held in her hand ready.

"So I can be here today to help you master your abilities, isn't it amazing how things come full circle?" Peter's expression turned into almost too jovial one, and Eva scoffed, letting go of Lydia's hand as she stepped forward towards him, having to tilt her head up so she could meet his gaze, "We don't need your banshee 101, I can help Lydia just fine. I'm a druid, remember? All the druids before me knew, I'll know."

Peter almost smiled with satisfaction, as if that was what he was waiting to hear the whole time, "And this is exactly why you're going to help me now."

Eva blinked furiously when she realized she'd just given him exactly what he wanted and she stepped back slowly, "What do I need to do?"

"That's a girl." Peter whispered as he lifted his hand, but Allison was quick to react, stepping forward to press the fire poker against his neck. "Easy there, hunter." Peter turned to her, slowly moving his hand into his jacket to bring out the wooden preservation case, and he uncovered it and turned it over, letting the five claws cling against the glass coffee table, before he set the case aside and held both his hands up.

"You remember what I told you?" Peter started as he turned his attention to Eva again, whose eyes had drifted down to the claws. "Your sister stole a memory from you, and you need me to tell you what it is."

"Wait, how could she steal a memory from you?" Lydia asked, and Peter sighed heavily as he lifted his gaze to her, "Because she's…" Peter closed his eyes momentarily, "She _was _a very powerful alpha."

"And why would she steal a memory from you?" Lydia narrowed her eyes, and Peter turned to her incredulously, "Well, if I remembered the memory, I would tell you."

"Can you two stop?" Eva started, her nerves already getting to her. She hadn't read up much on the divination but she knew enough, then she looked up at Peter, "Did your sister do that a lot? Take memories?"

Peter frowned, thrown off by the question. "I don't know. I wasn't allowed to meddle with the pack's business." Peter whispered bitterly, and Eva flickered her eyes downward again at the claws. She didn't touch them – not yet at least, not now. "I need a link." Eva whispered, "I need something that will guarantee I see your memory, not just any memory." Eva looked up at Peter again, and he seemed to catch on faster than she would have liked him to, which meant that he might know about her more than she already did. "And what's a better link than blood?" Peter smiled, and Eva swallowed thickly before she nodded slowly and looked back at Lydia, "I guess you don't want to get blood on your coffee table or your carpet…so…a bowl and a knife would be great."

Lydia nodded slowly and hurried off, just as Eva felt her phone go off in her pocket. Eva looked down, almost reaching for her phone, but Peter grabbed her wrist. "I need you to stay focused, druid."

"Let her go." Allison whispered as she pressed the tip of the fire poker against Peter's neck, and Peter sighed, turning to Allison, "You're a lot like your aunt."

"Hey," Eva interrupted, "You're here because you want your favor cashed in. So you only talk to me." Eva demanded, just as Peter turned to her again, lifting a brow, seeming more amused than threatened really, and it started to get on Eva's nerves.

"Here." Lydia whispered as she walked back towards Eva, handing her the bowl and the knife. Eva looked up at Peter as she set the bowl on the coffee table, "Put the claws in the bowl." She whispered, and Peter narrowed his eyes. "You don't want to taint the preservation case now, do you?" Eva added, blinking slowly as she stared at him putting the claws in the bowl slowly. He held his palm out to Eva, "You need to be quick, I'll heal." Peter pointed out, "Don't try to enjoy it as much as I know you want to."

Eva stared up at him – and if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under now, she was sure. But she ignored his little insinuations as she dug the tip of the knife in the palm of his hand, and turned it over, her fingers applying pressure carelessly so she could squeeze out as much blood as she possibly could into the bowl, before the wound healed just as the claws were completely tainted.

Eva set the knife down slowly and took a deep breath – she didn't know how it worked still, but she knew that if she focused hard enough, it might work. It almost always happened spontaneously, and she was sure it will now too. Eva pressed her palms together and held them up as Peter poured the claws mixed with his own blood into her hands.

Peter stepped back when Eva's fingers curled around the claws tighten, her body tensing. Allison's eyes narrowed, meanwhile Lydia's widened, "She's not breathing." Lydia pointed out, "Why the hell is she not breathing?" Lydia's voice started getting higher when she started to panic.

"Do not touch her!" Peter yelled, for the first time the anxiety showing in his voice as his eyes focused on Eva's face, before the girl finally opened her eyes, the silver glow fading as she stumbled backwards, the claws tumbling from her hands to the ground. Lydia quickly stepped forward to balance her just as Allison stepped in front of Eva, holding the fire poker directly at Peter's chest.

"Eva, what did you see? Did you see it? Did you see the memory?" Peter asked, no demanded, just as Eva was regaining her grip on the present world. "Answer me, what did you see?!"

Eva's eyes snapped up to Peter's face, and she swallowed thickly, as she finally regained her balance, "You're not just an uncle…" She whispered, and Peter's eyes widened momentarily, before they drifted to the ground. "What else?" He whispered as his eyes snapped up to meet hers, "What else did you see?"

"Just that." Eva whispered, her voice shaking, "I don't know its name, or whether it's a boy or a girl, or whether it's a mutated wolf baby….All I know is that there's a baby." Eva whispered through her teeth, and she saw the blue glow behind Peter's eyes start to appear.

"Step back." Allion taunted, "Now." She pressed the fire poker against his chest, and Peter's eyes drifted down to the metal, before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "I don't want the situation to get messy." He whispered, "But you are lying, little druid, and I will find out everything." Peter threatened, before he gathered his claws into the case and left.

Lydia turned to Eva quickly, almost to ask her whether she was okay, but Eva's trembling had ceased. "We need to go to Scott, now." Eva started as she almost reached into her pocket, frowning when she saw the blood on her hands, and she quickly wiped it against her shirt before she drew out her phone. All the missed calls were from Scott, and she quickly dialed his number, "Scott," She started immediately, but he interrupted her, "Deaton figured out what the bruises are."

Eva blinked, "What are they?"

"They're code. Morse code." Scott rambled on quickly, "He's still decoding it but you better get here quickly. Is Kira with you?"

"No, she never showered up. Call her." Eva insisted, "We're coming over. There's something important I need to tell you."

"What is…wait…" Scott muttered, and Eva frowned, "Scott, what is it?" Eva asked, her eyes flickering between Allison and Lydia, "Scott?"

"The code is Oak Creek." Scott mumbled, before his voice got louder, "It's Oak Creek."

"Oak Creek? What the hell does that even mean?" Eva whispered, and Scott breathed out, "I don't know. Did you get anything from Lydia?" Eva didn't answer; instead, she turned to Lydia, whose eyes had zoned into the distance, "Lydia?"

"Oak Creek" Lydia whispered, frowning as her eyes flickered across the room, "Lydia, what is it? What do you hear?"

"I…I don't know…" Lydia whispered, "It's like a….noise…a white noise…I can't make out anything." Eva frowned, Peter's words echoing in her mind – it was Eva who refused his help and it might cost them a life. She swallowed thickly before she whispered into the phone, "We're coming over."

Eva hung up then turned to Lydia, then to Allison, "We have to go. Now."

"But I don't even know what I'm hearing." Lydia protested, almost helplessly, "The fact that you feel something, that you hear something, means something is going to happen tonight. If we figure it out faster, we might be able to stop it." Eva whispered, before she chewed on the inside of her cheek, "At least I hope so."

"Let's go then." Allison ushered them towards the door as she dropped the fire poker by the coat rack.


	13. Remember The Time

**A/N:**

**Woohoo! New chapter! For someone who has the story all written out, I should update faster, right? I don't know, I guess I just funked out for a second. But I'll push myself to update and get on it more. I promise. Leave me reviews? Pretty please? Love me? Don't hesitate to ask me stuff on my tumblr (dystopiiann) I'll be more than happy to answer! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The girls got out of Lydia's car, their eyes flickering across the clinic's sign, before Eva turned to Lydia again, "Nothing?" She asked, pulling her brows into a frown, and Lydia reciprocated Eva's troubled expression as she closed her eyes. After a minute, Lydia shook her head as she opened her eyes again, "I know I can hear it, I know it's there…I just…"

"It's okay." Eva quickly told her, glancing sideways at Allison who wrapped her arm around Lydia's shoulder and guided her towards the clinic's door.

The bell chimed announcing their entrance, "Scott?" Eva called out, "In here!" Eva glanced back at Allison and Lydia before she pushed into the clinic, finding Scott and Deaton in one of the exam rooms, hunched over a bunch of papers and the pictures from the morgue, which Eva immediately diverted her eyes from, meeting Scott's gaze almost immediately, "Anything?"

"All we know is that Oak Creek is a place in Beacon Hills County, that's it." Deaton started as he stood up and turned to Eva, and she frowned, "A place? Like what, is it part of the reserve now? Is it empty? Is it an old town?"

"We don't have any specifics, but we know it's close to Eichen House." Scott muttered, before he turned to hold Eva's gaze, "You're the only one who knows enough about Eichen House."

"I don't know anything about that place except that something is off about it." Eva shook her head almost dreadfully, "Doesn't Mrs. Morrell know anything?" She asked, turning to Deaton, who shook his head slowly, "Marin only started working there recently, a year or two behind."

"But she had to have felt what I felt when I walked into that place." Eva frowned, and Deaton pursed his lips, "Not all druids possess divination, Eva. Only select ones do – the original lines and their descendants." Deaton muttered quietly before he looked up at her, "You are part of a very powerful line of druids."

Eva chewed at her lip when she heard what Deaton said and she shook her head quickly, "Well, that power means nothing to me right now if I can't use it, and I'm obviously not helping at all. We need something that will help us find out who dies next."

"Is there going to be a next?" Scott's tone rose with his alarm, and Eva turned back to Lydia, "She wrote another riddle in her notebook." Eva whispered, "All the riddles I heard, Lydia had written them down unaware, and she had another one written, a new one."

"I hear something." Lydia whispered, flexing her fingers at her sides as she closed her eyes.

"Pen, paper, quick." Eva started, turning to Deaton with wide eyes when Lydia's lips began trembling. "I can hear it…It's…"

"What is it, Lydia?" Allison asked as Deaton somehow managed to scavenge for a pencil and a paper to set them down on the exam table.

"I don't know...It's literally on the tip of tongue…It's…It literally makes me want to scream." Lydia whispered, and Eva looked up at her, "You're a wailing woman, Lydia. Scream. Just scream."

When Lydia parted her lips, they were all very positive they'd heard the most blood-curdling scream there is. With everyone's hands over their ears, their eyes shut tightly, as the scream disappeared into thin air like someone had choked the sound out of Lydia's lips. Lydia's eyes snapped open, and she hurried towards the table just as Eva let down her hands and opened her eyes, watching as Lydia grabbed the pencil and almost robotically scribbled into the paper.

When she was done, she stepped back, and Deaton picked up the paper. "I didn't know you knew how to write Japanese, Lydia." Deaton whispered, before he turned to her, and Lydia's eyes finally regained emotion as they flickered nervously across the faces of everyone in the room. "I don't."

Eva moved beside Deaton to peer into the paper and she frowned, before she looked up at Scott again, "Kira does, though." Eva mentioned, recalling the day after the rave when she'd woken Kira up and saw the book written in vertical lines underneath her head. "Did she not pick up when you called her?"

"It went straight to voicemail." Scott shook his head slowly, and Eva shook her head slowly, "We need to get to her."

"Wait, weren't the twins and Isaac supposed to be here?" Allison started, as if at the mention of people who were supposed to be here, she remembered. Scott looked up at her and frowned, "No one came here."

"What do you mean no one came? Aiden told me he was on his way to Deaton's when you called and filled us in on everything." Lydia started, her eyes widening some as her gaze flickered between Scott and Deaton.

"I'll go look for them." Allison quickly offered a solution, "You go find Kira." Allison assured them then turned to Lydia, "You need to come with me, I have no way to get around." Allison muttered, and Lydia nodded quickly, reaching over to take Allison's outstretched hand.

"Be careful." Eva called out after them and frowned as they both left, before she turned to Scott and nodded slowly, "Let's go."

"I'll call you if I find anything on Oak Creek." Deaton told them as he handed the paper Lydia had written in to Eva, and she folded it in twice before she shoved it into her jean's pocket, then she tugged out her phone as she followed Scott out to the car. "Hey, Mr. Stilinski, yeah…I just wanted to check in on Stiles, how is he?"

"He's okay, just woke up. They're about to do the MRI now. No-Stiles, okay, okay-here—" The Sheriff's voice was cut off and Eva lifted a brow, before a small smile curled on her lips when she heard Stiles' voice, "Hey girlfriend."

"Hey boyfriend." Eva laughed a little, "How are you feeling now? Does your head still hurt?"

"I can barely feel my head. It's just a weight on my shoulders right now." Stiles grumbled, "I thought you'd be here when I woke up." Stiles frowned, and Eva could almost see him pout. She looked up at Scott, not even trying to conceal her guilty expression, "Well, my dad needed me home. You know he can't cook to save his own life." She lied, and she could almost hear Stiles laugh a little, "Yeah, I know all about that."

"So when you're done just give me a call or shoot me a text okay? It's not like we're going to school tomorrow or anytime soon anyways so I'll try to come over as soon as I can." Eva muttered, smiling a little. "That sounds good. That sounds really good. You're not snooping around without me right?"

"Wha- no, no. I wouldn't. How could I even find anything without you?" Eva forced a small smile on her lips. "I have to go now, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, of course." Eva muttered, "Stiles, when you're in the machine, just hum something. It's easier to drown out the noise." Eva added quickly, "Any other advice? That thing looks like it just fell out of a Star Wars movie and I've learned never to trust any of these."

"Yeah...Just…distract yourself." Eva shrugged a little as she walked away from Scott, "Just think of something that's easy to focus on."

"Hm, how about your eyes?" Stiles offered, "You have really beautiful eyes, Eva Davis."

Eva felt the blush creep up on her face, "Are you still on drugs, Stiles Stilinski?"

"No, I just speak the truth." Stiles shrugged, and she licked her lips before she exhaled, "Fine then, think of me…Think of us, in your room, on your bed." Eva smiled to herself, almost laughing a little when she heard Stiles gulp.

"Doing stuff?" He muttered, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Sexy stuff." Eva corrected and smiled broadly, "Naked, sexy stuff." Eva daringly added.

"I think of that inside the MRI machine." Stiles mumbled to himself, "Just don't make yourself look too obvious." Eva whispered, and laughed when she heard Stiles curse under his breath. "You're the best girlfriend ever." Stiles whispered into the phone, and Eva laughed a little, "Talk to you later, boyfriend."

Eva hung up, the small smile still curled on her lips as she turned to Scott, whose face was a mixture of horror and awe. "You guys…are…" Scott started, and Eva laughed a little, "How is he?" Scott finally breathed out before he swung his leg over the dirt bike, "He's okay, they're doing the MRI on his head now. I told him to call me once he was done." Eva smiled a bit, before the smile fell when she realized the task at hand, and she shook her head slowly, "I don't like lying to him."

"You said it yourself. He's hurt. I know that wouldn't stop him but someone had to." Scott pointed out as he handed Eva the helmet, and she sighed heavily, trying to convince herself with Scott's words before she put the helmet over her head and wrapped her arms around Scott's torso, shutting her eyes tightly as she shrunk in her little seat, waiting until the whole trip was over.

* * *

Eva glanced sideways at Scott once he kicked the kickstand down to hold up the bike, and she shook her head slowly, "What do you hear?"

Scott closed his eyes slowly, pulling his brows together as he tilted his head, "Nothing…I can't hear anything." Eva blinked as Scott opened his eyes and looked down at her, "I can't hear her heartbeat."

"That's…That's not good." Eva breathed out hesitantly, her heart picking up pace with concern as they both almost ran towards the house. Scott reached out to open the door, and frowned when it turned out to be unlocked. "Get behind me." Scott instructed Eva, but she shook her head defiantly. "I'm beside you. I'm right beside you." Eva told him, and Scott glanced down at her, before he breathed out when he realized nothing he'd say would change her mind, and he walked in.

There no signs of a fight in the house – however, they both walked cautiously.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Scott and Eva whirled around, both wearing white faces and wide eyes as they stared agape at Kira, who stood by one of the sliding doors. "You're here? How are you here? We left messages and we called and…" Eva started, the words gushing out of her lips before Scott interrupted, "And I couldn't hear your heartbeat." Scott paused, before he met Kira's gaze, "I still can't hear your heartbeat."

"That's because I was learning to cover my aura, and conceal myself." Kira explain hurriedly, just as Noshiko walked out of the same room both of them were in, "And you're doing a great job." Noshiko smiled, the pride making her face almost glow, and Eva felt a stab at the sight, a stab of pain, a stab of jealousy. She quickly looked down so Scott did the talking.

"I'm glad you're okay." Scott sighed, "But we need to talk. Can you read this?" Scott asked as he turned to Eva, who quickly brought out the paper to hand it to him, who in turn handed it to Kira. She pulled her brows together as she stared down at it, "Bolt of lightning…" Kira pulled her brows together as she looked up at Scott, "Where did you get this from?"

"Lydia wrote it." Scott started, "It's a clue – it has to be."

"A clue for what?" Kira turned to Eva, who took a deep breath, "Those suicides…I don't think they're suicides." Eva started, "Something is doing this. And so far we've got a bruise that's morse code for Oak Creek, and apparently now, a Japanese message that says bolt of lightning." Eva pursed her lips into a thin line, "We have basically nothing. And someone is going to die."

"You don't have nothing."

The teenagers turned to Noshiko, who had apparently lingers by the door across from the room with a frown apparent on her face. Just by looking at her face, Eva could tell the woman knew something, and when Scott stared at her expression long enough, he realized the exact same thing.

"Mom?" Kira asked as she stepped towards her, just as Mr. Yukimura walked in, "I've got dinner!" He announced, before stopping at the doorstep, "I didn't know we were going to have anyone for dinner."

"We aren't." Noshiko muttered, turning a hard gaze towards Scott and Eva, and Eva in turned narrowed her eyes as she stepped forward, "With all due respect, Mrs. Yukimura, if you know something about what's going on, you need to tell us." Eva said, her voice holding a tone of sharpness. Scott tried to placate the air as he added, stuttering a bit at first, "She's right, a-and, with all due respect of course, but people are dying, and we need to stop it."

"Noshiko?" Mr. Yukimura started as he set the food down on the coffee table, and the woman visibly sighed, "They want to know about Oak Creek."

"Oak Creek." He breathed out before he turned to Scott &amp; Eva, "Come with me." He whispered, taking his wife's hand as they both led the way. Kira frowned, her eyes flickered between her parents and her friends, before she followed them hesitantly, and eventually so did Eva &amp; Scott.

"There was an internment camp, in Oak Creek." The man started as he walked into his office, and Scott frowned, "Weren't those during World War II? Shouldn't that just…pop up on a google search?"

"All the records of it were erased." Mr. Yukimura completed, and Noshiko sighed, a sadness to her voice, "They covered it up."

"When I was a grad student, my passion project, actually—" Mr. Yukimura started digging through his drawers, "It was more like an obsession, was digging up the truth about Oak Creek. It's how I met your mother, Kira."

He placed a bunched of photos on the desk, and Eva reached out for one of the photos, staring down at a forties version of her best friend. "Is that like, your grandmother?" Eva asked as she held out the photo to Noshiko.

"No," She shook her head, "That's me."

"If that's you, then you've got to be like, ninety." Scott breathed out, just as Kira's eyes widened and turned her mother. "Closer to nine hundred."

"Yeah, okay, why not." Kira whispered, her voice shaking, as she turned to her father, "How old are you dad?"

"I'm forty-three, but I'm told I look mid-thirties." The man smiled briefly at his daughter, before he turned to Noshiko and nodded slowly, "Tell them, Noshiko."

"I used to steal the supplies that were brought in –" Noshiko started, "I used to take what was ours because the Americans kept half of the share for themselves. I got toys for the children, food for the elderly, and even aspirins…for a friend of mine, a friend I never understood was an ally, Satomi. She used to get these migraines once a month, and I never understood why, I only wanted to help her. But she was the one who disapproved what I was doing, always kept herself busy with a Japanese board game."

"How could you so easily steal from military?" Scott asked, and Eva narrowed her eyes, "Someone on the inside helped her." Noshiko turned to her and nodded slowly, her expression solemn, "Rhys. Coporal Rhys. He was responsible for the internment we were in. He was also….someone I loved." Noshiko met Kira's gaze before she turned to look at Eva, "I used to sneak out every night to meet him." She smiled briefly, "It was hard getting around without getting caught. But we did it anyways – it was what made our relationship beautiful."

"Mom," Kira started, shaking her head, "We don't want to hear your Casablanca story. Tell us what we need to know." Kira protested, and Eva glanced sideways at her friend, before she turned to Noshiko and nodded slowly. She eyed Scott momentarily, before she nodded, and sighed, "I used to teach him French, Rhys, because he was going to be relocated to Africa in a few weeks. We used to meet in bunkers where they parked military vehicles."

"We heard two Corporals, Marick and Hayes, talking to the camp doctor. They were talking quickly, whispering. We never figured out what they were saying at the time." She frowned as she went on, "The elderly and the children started getting sick – pneumonia." Noshiko's voice shook momentarily, and Eva could tell she was about to bring up parts of the story she preferred remain buried, "And I knew I saw boxes of the medication Rhys was talking about, but he kept telling me he only received one."

"We already knew what was happening by then, Doctor Listen used Marick and Hayes to sell medicine in the black market, leaving us, our children, our people, die to pneumonia." Noshiko closed her eyes, "I did the mistake of telling the people, and…I saw the anger in their eyes…They wanted them did, the doctor, the Corporals. They all kept the doctor from leaving the camp. Rhys tried to stop them."

"I yelled at them to stop, Rhys forced the soldiers to put their guns down – but so many people were sick, so many were dying…I'd never seen anger like that, it was a living, breathing thing." Noshiko whispered as she sat down slowly, and Mr. Yukimura moved around to put his hands on her shoulders.

"That's when Hayes had gotten out of the car, and forced the people back. Rhys had managed to calm the people down, prevent one of them, one whose son had died, from throwing a Molotov bottle. But Hayes struck Satomi down." Noshiko sighed as she shook her head slowly, "I went to help her – but that's when I saw it, her eyes glowing golden, the gash on her head healing as if it were never there. I knew why she got those migraines. Why she was always at that board game. It kept her calm."

"She was bitten." Scott acknowledged, and Noshiko nodded slowly, "Bitten werewolves have a harder time of controlling their anger. One unexpected flare up and they could lose all of control."

Eva was sure not to touch any of the photos or the papers. She looked up at Noshiko and started hesitantly, "What did she do?"

"She took the Molotov and threw it at Rhys…I saw him burn…" Noshiko swallowed thickly, "They then opened fire at everyone – those who ran were the ones who survived, but I couldn't move, and the gunfire…it almost killed me. I don't know how many bullets made their way into my body, but I fought every one of them." She looked up at Kira and took a deep breath, "It left my body so weak, my heart so slow it appeared as though I was dead. They moved us…to the van that was moving the dead bodies away, and I knew I was better off than Rhys."

"His screams….could be heard throughout the hallways of Eichen House." Eva looked up at her, her gaze snapping up from the photos on the desk to Noshiko's face, "Fighting through every wound, every burn…He died in agony. The doctor, it seems, also sold the morphine."

"He died in Eichen House." Eva breathed out as she turned to Scott, "Those have to be the screams I heard." She shook her head quickly and turned to Noshiko, "What happened after that?" Eva asked quickly, more intrigued now than she has ever been.

"Marick and Hayes were the ones in charge of moving away the bodies, both American and Japanese American…" Noshiko started again, swallowing thickly as she stood up and turned away from them, "Doctor Listen too was being stationed somewhere else….They were covering it up. The doctor, Marick, Hayes, everyone else….they were going to get away with murder."

"By chance, I guess, Rhys's body was placed next to mine, and when I took his hand…when I remembered all the moments we shared…" Noshiko stopped, and Eva almost begged her to continue, but she didn't. She gave her the time she needed, out of respect, out of understanding. The tone of her voice turned from a saddened one to one that was almost mad, the furious type of mad, "I wanted all the soldiers, all the administrative Corporals to be punished for their crime…But I knew the clock was ticking - I was going to lose my chance. They were going to burn me with the others. I couldn't fight back with my body weakened and still healing. I could barely move…I was going to die." The tone of her voice turned into one Eva knew was filled with remorse, at the same time one that begged for understanding.

The woman had finally gotten a grip of herself, but she never turned to look at them, "With time slipping through my fingers, I knew I was making a terrible decision. But I could not die knowing they would get away…so I called out to our ancestors, offered my body for possession for a strong and powerful nogitsune, one that fed on chaos, strife, and pain, to take control of my body and fill it with power, and use it as a weapon."

The shock dawned upon the three teenagers, leaving them speechless, while Mr. Yukimura wore a remorseful expression on his face as well – but not shame, never shame.

"But calling out on a trickster spirit is a very dangerous thing; they can have a very dark sense of humor. Because while the nogitsune did come to possess someone," She finally turned to look at them, "It wasn't me."

"Rhys." Eva breathed out when it finally clicked inside her head, "Are you saying…are you saying the nogitsune is doing this?"

Noshiko shook her head slowly, "I would have felt its presence, so would have my Oni."

"What happened? What happened after the nogitsune came?" Kira whispered, and Scott turned to Noshiko again. The woman seemed disappointed they were satisfied with what she gave them, and took a deep breath to continue, "My body was just beginning to heal when they dumped our bodies and went back to get the gasoline, I could hear them joke, tell riddles to entertain themselves, distract themselves from the task at hand."

"Riddles?" Eva blinked, before she pressed her lips into a thin line apologetically and nodded slowly, "I saw Rhys…the nogitsune, rise, using Rhys's body. It killed Marick and Hayes, and took the van, and left."

"What did it do?" Scott asked, and Noshiko looked up at him, "It brought chaos, strife, and more pain than you could ever imagine. I had went back to the camp…and everyone was dead. No one survived the nogitsune…and I knew I had to put an end to this."

"I had a sword, one that belonged to my family, a long line of lightning Kitsunes, the one thing I took with me to the camp and kept hidden underneath my bed. I tracked the bodies left for dead to Eichen House, and I fought it inside the walls…It almost killed me." Noshiko sighed once and shook her head, "But Satomi…she helped me…she injured the nogitsune and allowed me to exorcise it once and for all with the sword. The power it took to exorcise it shattered the katana…and I saw Rhys fall again, this time forever."

"I trapped the nogitsune, and that's when I heard Rhys's last words…" Noshiko stopped then turned to Eva, "Coup de foudre."

"Bolt of lightning." Eva whispered, before she frowned, "That's why you came back to Beacon Hills when you thought it was free." Noshiko nodded slowly, "But how does that even help us figure out what is going on?"

"I can tell you this," Noshiko whispered, "It is not the nogitsune. A nogitsune needs a body to prey on and possess to rise to power, and my Oni have not sensed it. It's not my demon."

"But it's something." Eva whispered as she turned to Scott, "There has to be a reason why were supposed to know this." Eva started and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She almost started speaking again when her phone rang, and she pulled it out, looking down to see Allison's name flashing on the screen. She looked up at Scott, both of them exchanging worried frowns, before she stepped away from them and answered, "Allison?"

"Eva! You have to get Scott and come to the reserve quickly! Isaac, something's wrong with Isaac!" She heard Allison gasp, and she frowned when she heard her ragged breaths and the sound of the leaves crunching underneath her feet, "Allison, calm down, what is it?"

"I don't he's…He's chasing after something. I can't calm him down – he's transformed and I can't control him." Allison started, but she still seemed to be running.

"Can you keep him in one place?" Scott asked quickly, easily being capable of listening in on the conversation, "I can try." Allison whispered, quickly, "Where exactly are you, Allison?"

"I'm going to end you the coordinates from my GPS, okay?" And the other end went dead.

The phone buzzed in Eva's hand and she looked down at the screen, scrolling over to her messages to open the text she got from Allison. Scott quickly typed the coordinates into his GPS and he frowned, "Aren't those…" Eva started as she looked up at Scott, "Close to Malia's den." Scott finished, before he glanced sideways at Kira, "I have to go."

"We're right behind you." Kira whispered quickly, and her mother almost started protesting before Kira shook her head ones, "I'm going to go help my friends." Kira told her mother sternly as she disappeared into her room to get her katana, while she heard Scott's dirt bike roar into the night and disappear as he sped away.

And Eva had a horrible feeling about all of this – a horrible, terrible feeling. She turned to Noshiko, "I know this is asking for too much, but can you tell Deaton all what you just told use about Oak Creek? It'll really help if we had someone look into things while we tried to…figure out whatever the hell was going on." Eva told her, trying to sound as polite as she possibly could. Noshiko glanced sideways at her husband before she nodded slowly, "Thank you so much."

"Let's go." Kira appeared back with her jacket on and her sword in her hands, "I'll drive you." Mr. Yukimura muttered and they quickly hurried out of the house.


	14. Like A Moth To The Flame

**A/N: **

**Yes, yes, yessss - things are starting to get so _good! _However, I am going to be traveling from 4th of July up til the end of August, so I'm not sure whether I can post updates or not. I'm hoping I can keep you guys on your toes though. Also, how _great _was the Teen Wolf premiere yesterday! I can't wait for the new episode! (If you watched it leaked, shame on you.)**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapters, and don't forget to leave reviews!**

* * *

Eva looked down at the GPS, before she glanced up at the rear view mirror, "We walk from here, Mr. Yukimura." Eva muttered, reaching between the seats to point exactly at where he should park the car. Once the car wasn't moving anymore, the girls hopped out of it, bouncing on their feet as if the ground was on fire. When Mr. Yukimura started getting out of the car as well, Kira frowned, "Dad," She shook her head slowly as she turned to him, "You should leave. Get as far away from here as you possibly could."

"She's right, Mr. Yukimura." Eva added, glancing around before she struggled to give her attention to the man, "It's too dangerous. You have to leave."

Mr. Yukimura stared between the two of them and frowned, "I don't like this. You're just kids."

Eva glanced sideway at Kira, who turned to her dad, a pleading expression on her face, "Dad, please."

Eventually he caved when he realized he was only holding them back, "You call me when it's over." He told Kira seriously, flickering his gaze between the two girls, "Both of you better be careful." Mr. Yukimura eventually got back into the car and turned back to find his way onto the road into town again. Eva turned to Kira and nodded slowly, before she glanced around.

"Do we know where we're supposed to go?" Kira asked, and Eva chewed on the inside of her cheek before she turned back to the trail, "I've been dialing Scott ever since we got into the car, and he hasn't picked up. All we have now is to go the coordinates Allison sent us."

"And how far are those?" Kira asked, and Eva looked down at the GPS in her phone before she looked up at Kira, "Not far enough." Eva whispered before she took to lead the way, the leaves crunching underneath her boots as she made her way into the reserve. She lit the flashlight on her phone to make way, and walked.

"It's quiet." Kira whispered, her katana ready in hand, and Eva nodded once, "Too quiet. Something's not right."

"Should we call out for them?" Kira asked and Eva glanced over her shoulder at her friend, before she shook her head slowly and faced forward. The stillness in the air alarmed Eva – almost terrified her. That something maybe had happened, that it was too late.

That's when she heard something move beside her, a bush rustling, and she turned sideways – with her she moved her flashlight towards the source of the sound. "Who's there?" Kira called out, and Eva scowled, having preferred to remain silent, but huddled closer to her friend anyways, in her mind beginning to chant over all the incantations she knew just in case she needed to use them. If she could hopefully use them.

"It's okay, it's me." Eva frowned when she heard the familiar voice, and breathed out when she saw Chris Argent step from between the bushes, his hands over his head with a gun in his hand.

"Sorry I scared you." Chris whispered genuinely, before he turned his gaze towards the reserve. "Allison called me, said something happened with Isaac." Chris turned back to the two girls and shook his head slowly in inquiry.

"We don't know what happened yet. We're still looking for them." Kira started, and Eva narrowed her eyes when she saw a peculiar glow of light behind Chris, barely appearing through the bushes. "What's that?" She asked, and Chris' lips parted as he searched for an explanation, "It's basically an electronic dog whistle. They'll keep Isaac harbored within a certain area, assuming that Allison had put down the one she had in time."

"So now we just need to find them." Eva whispered, before he head snapped towards the reserve when she heard a howl. A howl that sounded so vicious it ran tremors through her body. "Isaac."

"I think we found them." Chris almost moved before he turned to Eva, "Can you control your powers well enough to protect yourself?"

Eva blinked slowly, her lips falling slack before she shook her head slowly. Chris crouched, before he pulled out another gun, smaller than the one in his hand, from underneath the leg of his jeans and he stood up again. He stared down at her, a battle in his eyes that she could see, before he eventually and reluctantly put it in her free hand. "That's the safety button. You press it that way to shoot." Chris nodded once and Eva gulped as she stared down at the gun in her hand, before she looked up at Chris again and nodded.

"Stay behind me." He whispered seriously and started pushing his way through the undergrowth, both girls armed and following him. Eva looked down at the gun resting in her hand every now and then, feeling awfully uncomfortable with it there and knowing that she could probably hurt someone using it but she had no other choice. Chris was right. Until she learned how to use her powers she ought to be useful to them without getting herself killed, hopefully.

They heard the howl again, this time it was weaker, trailing off into a whimper. "That doesn't sound good." Kira whispered hurriedly, and Eva glanced down at her phone, realizing that they were drawing closer and closer to Malia's den with still no sign of Allison, Isaac, or even Scott.

That's when they heard the weak howls again, and Eva frowned as she shook her head slowly, "This one's different." Eva started, before she looked up at Chris who turned to her, "And it came from this way." Eva pointed to where they just came from, just a little bit behind them. Chris frowned as he back tracked, and then moved towards the whimpers until they glimpsed something moving underneath a boulder, and Eva turned her flashlight towards the silhouettes to realize that it was the twins.

Eva's eyes widened as she quickly moved beside them, her eyes moving over their torn shirts and the obvious bullet wounds that were gaping through the torn fabric, the black blood flowing. "Eva…" Ethan whispered, and she turned her gaze to him, "Thank god you're here."

"What happened?" Eva asked hurriedly just as Chris crouched down beside her, "Isaac…something's up with him…" Ethan whispered again, "He went crazy and I'm going to kill him." Aiden grunted as he tried to push himself off the ground. "Then…Some hunters…they fired at us. We barely managed to hide."

"Are you saying there are hunters in these woods right now?" Kira panicked, and Eva's eyes widened, "That's wolf's bane." Eva whispered, gritting her teeth. "It needs to be burned out of your wounds so you two could start healing."

"Can't you take them to Deaton?" Chris asked, and Eva frowned as she stared down at them, "I don't think they have time."

Eva looked down at them again before she hesitantly moved her hand over Ethan's wound, or one of his wounds at least. "Is the bullet still in there? Can you feel it?" Eva whispered and Ethan nodded slowly. Eva nodded before she glanced sideways at Chris, then closed her eyes, trying to remind herself how she lit that candle – that she maybe could heat up what was left of the bullet to burn out the wolf's bane. "Hold him down." Eva whispered under her breath, just as the word echoed in her head. _Burn._

Eva had to keep her eyes shut tightly as Ethan cried in pain, his body wriggling under her hold with Chris struggling to hold him still. Eva lifted her hands away from the wound and watched the purple smoke rise and disappear into thin air, and when she looked down at the wound again, she saw it heal and disappear into nothing. All she could see was impeccable skin, untouched by blemish or scar, and she looked up at Ethan who was staring down at the wound, or the wound that was now gone, before he looked up at Eva again in disbelief. She didn't need to ask for permission to do it again because Ethan took a deep breath and nodded, pressing his head back against the soil.

It took her almost five minutes to burn the wolf's bane out of both of their wounds. "Stay hidden." Chris told them just as Eva stood up slowly, feeling a slight lightheadedness wash over her but she closed her eyes and shook it off. "We'll come for you once this is over."

"I'm going to call Derek." Eva started as she started dialing Derek's number, "He can take them to a safe place."

Eva glanced around nervously as she heard the dial tone, and breathed out a sigh of relief when Derek picked up. "It's past midnight." Derek whispered into his phone.

"I know, I'm sorry." Eva whispered hurriedly, "The twins were shot. There are hunters in the reserve. I healed them but we have to go find Scott, Allison, and Isaac because something's wrong with Isaac so can you come and take them somewhere safe because they are too weak right now and I don't know if those hunters will come back for them or not." Eva rambled one until she ran out of breath, and she sucked in another breath through her teeth to try and compose her fast-beating heart.

"I'm on my way. Where are you?" Derek asked and she could hear him shifting, "I'm sending you the coordinates. I don't know exactly where."

"I don't know how to use a GPS." Derek protested, and Eva stomped her foot once impatiently, "Figure it out!" She whispered angrily, "We have to go, Derek!" Eva scowled into the phone, and heard him sigh and hum in agreement. Eva hung up and copied the coordinates from the GPS before sending them to Derek in a text message before she turned to the twins who were propped against the boulder they were hiding underneath, "Derek is on his way."

"Be careful, Eva." Ethan whispered as he looked up at her, "Isaac practically threw us as bait to those hunters and left."

"Do you know who those hunters were?" Chris asked, and Aiden shook his head once, "We pissed off many people. Now that the word's out that we're not alphas anymore, lots of people are coming after us."

"I don't know about leaving them like this." Eva whispered, "I'll stay with them." Kira volunteered as she stepped forward, holding her katana in her hands, "I'll stay with them, you go. I'll call or text if something happened."

"Kira, are you sure you'll be okay?" Chris insisted, and the girl nodded before she glanced down at the injured werewolves, "You go."

Eva glanced sideways at Chris, before he eventually nodded, and turned to lead the way, this time one hand outstretched backward to make sure Eva was within arm's length.

After then minutes of walking, an arrow shot past them in the dark and exploded into the tree behind Eva, lights bursting everywhere. Eva shut her eyes tightly and Chris turned his searching gaze towards where he found his daughter standing, "Allison." He sighed, and Eva could hear the relief in his voice.

"I am _so _sorry. I thought you guys were Isaac." She whispered as she hurried towards them, "I lost him when Scott showed up. It's like he knew Scott would stop him. He just…ran."

"Allison, what happened?" Chris asked, and Allison shook her head. "When I went to look for Isaac I started going through my phone, and I realized I missed one voice message." Allison brought out her phone to play the voice message she'd gotten from Isaac. Eva frowned as she barely made out Isaac's throughout all the noise…"White noise." Eva whispered in alarm, looking up at Allison who nodded slowly as they both recalled what Lydia had said earlier that day.

"Allison…help me…I don't know what I'm doing…I don't know where I am…I'm at the reserve…help me, please…"

Isaac's voice was barely audible but the message was clear. Eva looked up at Allison, watching the concern and fear color her face as she stared down at the phone until the noise cut off and the message was over.

"I came here looking for him and when I found him he was all bloodied and his shirt was torn, like he'd fought with someone." Allison explained slowly, "And when I tried to ask him what was wrong, he just whispered, 'I have to find her.' And he left. That's when I called both of you."

"And when Scott got here?" Chris asked, and Allison shook her head slowly, "I managed to corner him, to keep him around Malia's den. But just as Scott got there, so did Malia. She ran away when she saw us and Isaac took off after them. That wasn't not so long ago because Isaac literally didn't move from in front of Malia's den. Scott tried talking to him but he kept saying only one thing."

"What was he saying, Allison?" Eva asked and Allison looked up at her, her wide eyes filled with fear, "Everyone has it but no one can lose it."

It was as if Allison had said it in the quietest whisper, but it echoed around Eva like someone was yelling it from all directions and she shut her eyes tightly. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Allison, "We need to split up." Eva muttered, "We can't find them if we stay together like this. It will waste time and it's better if we cover more ground."

Chris again seemed reluctant, but he knew she was right, "Do you still have the gun?" He asked and Eva nodded as she held up the hand that had the gun. Chris turned to his daughter before he nodded, "Alright, I'll go this way, Allison you go there, and Eva…" He turned to Eva before she took a deep breath and stood taller, trying to make herself look ready for this. "I'll go this way." Eva jotted a thumb over her shoulder before she stepped back slowly, then turned around. One hand manned the gun while the other held up the flashlight to light her way through the darkened reserve.

She peered up through the canopy formed by the trees at the moon above her, but when she searched the sky, she realized it was a new moon – and there was no moon in the sky. She looked down again and focused on the way ahead of her, before she saw a pair of golden glows peer at her through the pushes, and Eva slowly put down her phone.

"Isaac?" She whispered hesitantly, not daring to move from where she stood.

The golden glows flickering, but they didn't move. "Isaac, it's Eva." She started hesitantly as she stepped towards the bushes, before she let out a strangled scream when an owl flew from the bushes right above her head. Eva stumbled back, both the phone and the gun tumbling from her hands. She placed her hands over her heart as she closed her eyes, trying to restart her heart.

But then she heard it – the gun being loaded and cocked, and when she opened her eyes she saw Isaac, standing in front of her, holding the gun at her.

The light from the phone illuminated his face, and Eva saw the familiar mixture of terror and reluctance as well defiance on his face. "Isaac…" Eva started hesitantly, all plans she had in mind to actually do something had she been put in a situation like this again dissipating as she stared at one of her friends – one of her friends who was holding the gun at her, his finger twitching over the trigger.

"I can't stop it, Eva." He whispered, to whimpered, shaking his head slowly as the tears trickled down his face.

"What can't you stop, Isaac, tell me." Eva whispered, holding her hands up, "Tell me so I can help you stop it."

"You can't!" Isaac snapped, his grip on the gun tightening, and Eva flinched back a little but didn't dare to move away. "You can't stop it, Eva. Not now, not yet. You don't know the answer."

"The answer to what?" Eva asked, her voice barely over a whisper, but she knew he could hear her. When she tried to hold Isaac's gaze, it was like something snapped. She saw something in his eyes that made her want to run for her life. Something that made her believe Isaac would not hesitate to pull that trigger even if he didn't want to.

"Everyone has it," He whispered, "But no one can lose it. What is it?"

Eva's lips trembled as she shook her head slowly, "I…I don't know."

"Wrong answer."

Something leaped out of the bushes, pouncing on Isaac just as the gun went off, the bullet sounding off into the sky. Eva screamed as she ducked, falling to ground and holding her arms over her head. When she looked up again, she could barely hear anything or see anything, but saw the silhouette of two figures – a man, Isaac. And a…wolf? No…it was a coyote.

Malia.

Eva scrambled backwards, her chest rising and falling quickly as she watched the feral fight between the two. She wanted to scream at them, yell at them to stop, call for help – but she couldn't. Her chest tightened and her body trembled as she watched them scratch and claw at each other, their ferocious growls muffled but audible to her sensitive ears.

"Eva, Eva!" She heard someone call out her name, and looked up to see Scott hovering above her. He almost knelt down and she shook her head quickly, pointing forward. Scott looked up, licking his lips hesitantly. When Eva looked up at him, it almost seemed like he knew what to do, what he was too scared to do.

Eva knew that she could at least do this one thing.

She reached out from where she sat on the ground and took Scott's hand, nodding slowly when he looked down at her. Eva saw him regain his confidence, before he let go of her hand and moved to crouch in front of her – his eye turning into the glorious crimson glow as he bared his fangs and he howled. He didn't howl for help, or howl to signal his position. He howled to prove his domination.

The howl lasted and echoed for so long that Eva had begun to hear normally again, and she slowly picked herself up off the ground and shaking legs as she watched the scene before her. Isaac, cowering on the ground away from Scott, curled up by the base of a tree trunk.

And a girl lying on the ground…covered in grit and soil, and nothing else. Eva frowned as she stepped forward slowly to stand beside Scott, who too was staring down at the girl that appeared out of nowhere. And that's when it hit Eva. That girl did not appear out of nowhere. That girl was here the whole time. "Malia?" Eva whispered, and as if on cue, the girl lifted her head slowly.

With eyes wide and filled with so much emotion, Malia's gaze met Eva's. She pulled her unkempt brows into a frown before she pushed herself off the ground, and Eva saw Scott turn his gaze away out of the corner of her eyes when Malia revealed herself. Malia looked down at her hand, turning it over, her eyes studying her fingers as if they were the most intricate things.

"Your jacket." Eva whispered to Scott, "Give me your jacket and call the sheriff." She turned to him, holding her hand out for Scott's jacket as he quickly shrugged it off. Eva's eyes flickered to Isaac, who was still curled up on the ground, then she looked up at Scott again, before she turned her attention back to the naked girl.

"Malia," Eva started as she stepped forward slowly, holding her hands up when Malia flinched back, her lips curling over her teeth. "Malia, you know me." Eva whispered, "It's Eva." Eva stepped forward again, her eyes studying the girl's face, "I'm here to help you, okay? It's going to be okay. We're going to take you back to your dad."

"My dad…" Malia whispered the first words she'd sounded in almost eight years now. Eva smiled a bit and nodded slowly as she finally closed the distance between her and the girl curled on the ground. She crouched down in front of her, "You're okay now." Eva whispered as she reached over to bring the jacket around Malia's frame. She reached down to take her wrist gently and guide it through the first sleeve, before Malia mimicked and pushed her other arm through the sleeve. Eva brought the jacket together and zipped it up to cover up Malia's body, before she reached around her neck to pull her unruly hair from underneath it and brush off the leaves that stuck to it.

Much to her surprise, Malia's arms moved around Eva's form, and she held onto her tightly. "Take me back to my dad." Malia whispered, and Eva nodded slowly as she rested her hands on Malia's back and closed her eyes, "I will." Eva blinked and closed her eyes.

The Sheriff arrived with an ambulance less than an hour later, and Eva had to convince Malia that it was okay and that the Sheriff will help her before she eventually stepped back and watched them take care of her. Allison &amp; her father left with Isaac, and Derek picked up the twins as well as Kira. It was just Eva and Scott at the scene now, their only explanation being that they were driving home when they heard something move inside the bushes and went after it to find Malia.

Scott was standing across from her – talking to the Sheriff, while Eva stood by the outskirts of the reserve.

_Eva…_

Eva frowned, glancing around when she heard an unfamiliar voice whisper her name. _Eva…_ She heard it again, this time she was positive that the voice was coming from inside the reserve, within the woods. Eva gulped, before she glanced back at Scott. He didn't seem fazed by anything, which only meant that he didn't hear it.

_Eva…_ Eva took a deep breath, knowing to her hear that this was a stupid decision, but she turned around and stepped back onto the trail. She followed the voice in the one direction it was coming from, until it started to sound like it was coming from everywhere. _What gets bigger the more you take away?_

"What?" Eva glanced around, shaking her head slowly, "What the hell…Who are you?" She called out into the darkness.

_Solve the riddle, Eva. What gets bigger the more you take away?_ The voice moaned, from everywhere and nowhere, making Eva whirl around as she desperate searched for the source.

"I'm not here to play games…who are you?" Eva asked again, though her voice had started shaking. Her eyes widened when she saw her breath condense in the air in front of her, and she realized her whole body started shivering.

_Play along, Eva._ The voice whispered, _What gets bigger-_

"No!" Eva called out as she stepped back slowly, "S-scott! Scott!" Eva called for him as she tried to turn away, she tried to run back, but something crashing against the back of her head caused Eva's world to spin as she dropped to the ground – and the last thing she saw was hand, a hand wrapped in yellow-ed bandage, moving over to press over her mouth.

That was the last thing she saw before she was swallowed into blackness.


	15. Play The Game

**A/N:**

**I know I'd originally decided that this series will only be a trilogy but I decided I really wanted to write the season 5 plot, but we'll see how it all goes and how inspired I am and all that. I'm still writing season 4 and honestly, I'm having some trouble. Anyhow, Hi! I'm still alive, obviously. Time flew so fast I hardly noticed it'd been almost 20 days since I posted but here I am, and here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

The cold woke Eva up.

Eva felt the shivers shake her back to consciousness – it was almost too hard to open her eyes in this low temperature. Eva could no longer feel the night air or its light breeze brushing against her skin every now and then, and she knew that she wasn't in the reserve anymore.

Eva could barely recall what happened before she found herself catapulted into darkness. It was almost as if she was prying the memories from the deepest pits of her mind – she could see them, flashes and pieces, but it wasn't all very clear. Eva ventured to open her eyes slowly, deciding that where ever she was at the moment could possibly help her remember what happened.

But when Eva opened her eyes, all she could see was a dull, almost rusty metal wall. She breathed out slowly, watching her breath rise above her head in the darkness, or at least its silhouette. Eva could barely see anything but the silhouette of her hand moving slowly to trace along the metal wall. Her other hand moved, her arm barely stretched to its full length before Eva felt another wall much like the one by her other side. Eva gulped and closed her eyes – she was inside something. A box?

Just the thought made Eva's heart begin to beat faster, her chest tightening and her throat close up. She hated closed off spaces, she despised them. And it wasn't even because of being locked inside something when she was kid, no. It was right after her aunt had died, and sitting inside four walls was too hard for her to handle. Now it was just worse, with no light to show her exactly where she was or what she was in.

Eva closed her eyes and tried to hum, the lullaby leaving her lips in shaking notes as she curled her hands into fists. She remembered the conversation she'd had with Stiles, telling him to distract himself while he was inside the machine. But that was to help him ignore the noise and the feeling. There was no noise where Eva was. Not even a sound.

Eva let out a soft whimper as her hands moved down to her pockets, in hope that maybe she still had her phone on her. When Eva felt the bulge of her iphone inside her jeans she quickly pulled it out, her eyes drifting down to the screen before she felt her heart sink when she saw the no signal blinking where the network strength should have been displayed. She swallowed down thickly – if she wasn't going to be able to call someone and ask them for help then she was going to help herself.

Eva turned on the flashlight to illuminate the space she was in, and a scream got caught in her throat when she saw someone propelled on the wall just opposite from hers. It took Eva a minute to realize that it was a body…because she was staring at the still form of a man, his entire upper body wrapped in bandages, and clad only in pants. Eva tried to regulate her breathing as she stared at it, pressing herself back into the metal wall behind her as her lower lip trembled with fear and cold as well.

She shifted, trying to curl up away from the body, huddle into the wall, when she felt her foot move something. She frowned and reached forward, struggling until she got onto her knees, and she reached out to feel whatever she'd accidentally kicked. She shut her eyes tightly when all she could see was the body propelled in front of her until her hand curled around something, and she quickly pushed herself back into the wall again. She stared down at what she was holding – a sword's sheath, with the sword still in it. Eva frowned as she grabbed the hilt and pulled it out, expecting a long sword, a katana to reveal itself, but only saw a small part of it. Eva tilted the sword's sheath with shaking hands towards the ground, and watched the pieces of the katana trickle to the ground.

A shattered katana.

Eva's lips fell slack as she realized whose body that was. She couldn't dare to look up, not because she knew, because out of the corner of her eyes she saw its legs move. "You know who I am…" The voice echoed in the small space, and it sounded almost like death. So gruff and low that Eva flinched and pressed herself back against the wall.

Eva's lips trembled as she stared down at the pieces of the katana, her eyes wide and filled with tears. She didn't move or shake her head; a dead body just moved and talked to her.

"Let me help you," He whispered again, "What gets bigger the more you take away from it?"

Eva blinked slowly, letting the tears roll down her face as she pulled her brows into a frown, "How is that-"

"Play along, Eva." The voice taunted, dropping to menacing tone, lower than the one it was already at that caused Eva to shut her eyes tightly. She almost let out a small whimper when she felt the rough bandage cross against her jawline, "It's cold, Eva. You know it's too cold. You stopped shivering. You know that's a bad sign."

Eva opened her eyes slowly, her gaze drifting to her hands still clutching the sword's sheath and hilt. But they weren't shaking anymore. Eva recalled clearly going through Stiles' old school report's, the one he'd made in fifth grade being the one that caught her attention: Hypothermia. She'd read it thoroughly, occasionally calling him a little geek since day one, and they ended up making out.

The memory seemed so far out of reach when it dawned upon her. "Body's conserving energy." She whispered, her eyes still shut tightly, "Good girl. Now. What gets bigger the more you take away from it?"

Eva shut her eyes tightly as she shook her head, "I don't know…I don't know any riddles.." Eva breathed out through her teeth, trying to get a grip of herself as she slowly opened her eyes. Her phone was propped somewhere, illuminating just enough to see him crouching in front of her, one arm resting over his knee as his other hand traced over her jawline lightly, "Are you the infamous nogitsune?" She asked, finding no eyes to stare into, she stared at the bloodied cut into his bandaged head where his mouth should be.

"Now you're just not playing fair." He complained as he tilted his head, and Eva pulled her brows together into a frown, sniffling every now and then. She felt her mind begin to fog up, her thoughts melting away with the lack of clarity.

"What gets bigger the more you take away from it?" He asked again and Eva shut her eyes tightly, "I don't…" She whispered as she shook her head furiously, "I don't know, I don't know!" She screamed.

"Work that little head of yours, Eva, before the deep confusion makes you lose yourself." He pressed as he brushed her hair behind her ear, "I'm trying to help you, trust me."

Eva grit her teeth as she opened her eyes again, peering through her lashed at his bandaged face before she chanted the riddle over and over, "..A..a..hole. A hole gets bigger the more you take away from it." Eva whispered, and could feel the flicker of hope inside her chest when her heart skipped a beat as he nodded, "What gets wetter the more it dries?"

"A to-towel." Eva answered almost immediately, having read that on the back of a cereal box.

"When is a door not a door?" Eva frowned as she tilted her head upwards, surprised at the riddle and overwhelmed by the memories it brought back, "Why are you asking that?" She whispered, shaking her head slowly.

"Because it's an answer to one of your many questions, Eva. I'm trying to help you." He insisted, the back of his hand moving over her cheek. Eva resisted the urge to move away from him, her eyes moving to the darkness above her, the ceiling being too far to be seen. "When is a door not a door?"

"When..it's..ajar." Eva whispered, feeling her lips begin to lose sensation.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky," He went on, but Eva didn't pay attention. She heard something, someone, talking through the wall she was pressed against. Eva slowly shifted away from him, from Rhys, or at least Rhys's body and pressed her ear against the wall.

"I don't get it…she's supposed to be here"

"Lydia…" Eva whispered as she tried to bring her body to move, ignoring Rhys who kept chanting on and on the riddles that haunted Eva for the past few days. "Shut up, shut up, shut up…" Eva whispered as she shut her eyes tightly.

"Where is she, Lydia?! Where the hell is she?!" Stiles exclaimed.

"I'm here…" Eva whispered as she lifted her hand to attempt to slam it against the wall, "I'm here…"

"Everyone has it but no one can lose it Eva, what is it?" Rhys whispered and Eva shook her head, "I don't know!" Eva's voice began getting louder as she felt herself regain more strength and more clarity.

"I'm sorry…I really thought she was here…"

"Let's go look somewhere else. She has to be somewhere."

"No, no, no…" Eva muttered as she sat up on her knees, feeling them scrap against the rough ground as she tried to scream, "I'm here! I'm here! Don't go!" Eva cried, her voice beginning to shake as the sobs thickened it, "Everyone has it but no one can lose it, what is it?!" Rhys was yelling behind her now, and Eva pressed her forehead against the metal, "I don't know, I don't know!" She screamed over and over again, "I don't kno-"

That's when the words got caught in her throat when it hit her. Eva blinked away her tears slowly as she turned back to Rhys, their faces barely inches away from each other as she breathed out, "A shadow."

Eva gasped as her eyes snapped wide open, momentarily blinded by the light above her head. Her eyes frantically moved across the room as her chest rose and fell quickly. She felt chained – she tried to move her arms but it was like someone had glued her arms to her side. Eva let out a wail for help as she wriggled, trying to free herself as her eyes adjusted to light above her.

"Eva…Eva—it's okay! Calm down, it's okay!"

Eva felt hands moved to her shoulders to hold her down, and she had to force herself to swallow down her panic as her eyes finally focused, and she saw Stiles hovering above her, a concerned expression on his face. Eva looked down at herself, her eyes registering the blankets she was wrapped up in. "Get me out of those…" She whispered and Stiles nodded hurriedly as he started to untangle and unwrap the blankets from around her. Eva pushed herself up and looked down at the IV in her arm, her eyes tracing the tube to the solution hanging above her head. It took her a long minute to realize that she was in the hospital. "What am I doing here?" She whispered as she looked up at Stiles who curled up the blankets and tossed them away on the seat behind him. He stepped closer to sit at the edge of the bed she was sitting on, "You don't remember?" He asked, frowning, and Eva shook her head.

Stiles heaved a sigh and glanced back when he saw the door swing open to see Scott's mom peering through before she sighed, relieved, "Thank God you're awake." She whispered as she glanced back, "I forced your father to go get something to eat just a few minutes ago. Do you want me to call him?"

"No," Eva shook her head slowly as she turned to Stiles, "I want to know what happened."

"You don't remember?" Melissa whispered as she frowned, and Eva let out a small sigh as she shook her head. "After you guys found Malia, you wandered into the woods. Then Scott heard you scream and when they found you, you were passed out on the floor, colder than ice." Stiles explained quietly, and Eva blinked slowly as her eyes drifted to the ground. "How long was I out?" Eva asked quietly.

"A day." Melissa answered, "It took us almost four hours to get your body temperature back to normal." Melissa stepped towards the bed, "Sweetie, are you sure you don't remember what happened?" Melissa asked, and Eva looked up at her before she turned her gaze to hold Stiles'.

"You remember." Stiles whispered as he narrowed his eyes and pulled his brows into a frown. "Eva, what happened?"

"Give me your phone." Eva whispered as she held her hand out to Stiles, who shook his head in confusion. "Just give it to me."

Stiles handed the phone to Eva quietly and Eva immediately dialed Kira's number, pressing the phone to her ear as she waited for her friend to pick up. "Stiles? Is Eva awake?" Kira immediately answered, "Kira, it's Eva, I'm fine, but I need to talk to your mother."

"What?" Kira asked, and Eva could almost see the confusion on her face just like the one she saw on Stiles, "Kira, please." Eva pleaded, and she heard shifting on the other end before Noshiko took the phone, "Eva?"

"Mrs. Yukimura, what did you do with Rhys's body?" Eva asked hurriedly.

"I…I put it inside the basement air vent in Eichen House, along with the shattered Katana." The woman answered and Eva could hear the confusion in her voice, "Why do you-"

"Just…Tell Kira to get here as fast as possibly could?" Eva whispered before she sighed once, "Thank you." And she hung up, before she turned to Stiles. "There's something I need to tell you. All of you."

* * *

Scott, Stiles, and Kira were the last to leave Eva's room – all that she has said making their minds spin. Of course, they had to catch Stiles up on all they had found out, and hear him rant about not letting him help and about leaving Eva to go into the morgue alone then into the woods alone, twice. The three teenagers remained silent, Stiles watching as Morrell talked to Eva's doctor.

That's when they heard Eva scream, and Stiles' eyes widened as he rushed back into her room, his eyes falling on her curled up form at the corner of the room as she cried and shielded her face. Stiles almost stepped forward but Morrell put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head as she hurried past him to crouch beside Eva, "Eva, what's wrong? Look at me, Eva. Do you know who I am?"

"He's there, he's right there…" Eva sobbed as she flinched away from Morrell's outstretched hand. The nurses hovered beside her, before one of them knelt down in attempt to pick Eva up, but she lashed out – flailing her arms into the air frantically, accidentally backhanding the nurse. The other one move quickly to grab her arms while the other recovered and moved around to grab her feet, and they picked her up. Eva's body twisted and thrashed in the air as they set her down on the bed, and Morrell moved towards her, "Eva, look at me." Morrell demanded, "Eva, if you don't look at me, they're going to have to drug you up."

Stiles watched Eva struggle against the nurses, screaming that someone was in the room, someone they couldn't see. He felt his heart ache as he fought every urge to push away the nurses holding her down and take her into his arms. Stiles had been through all of this before with his mother – he'd seen nurses hold her down. He'd seen thrash and scream just like Eva was doing right now. It was all too painful for him, so he turned away and stepped out of the room, pressing his palms against his eyes as if that would force the tears back into their ducts. But it didn't.

Eventually, Eva's screams had ceased – Stiles was the only one lingering outside Eva's room now, Scott and Kira had both disappeared. He waited until Morrell got out to go talk to her father, who too had lingered in the distance like Stiles and held his breath in concern for his daughter. Stiles followed her, keeping a few steps between them, not wanting it to seem like he was eavesdropping before he was.

Morrell stood in front of Eva's doctor and her dad, "She just had an episode that was a result of what I would diagnose as psychosis. Like I said, her body might have gone into shock earlier because she thought she saw something, which is what caused her to fall into that coma like state, the drop of temperature included. All those symptoms amount to a lot of schizo disorders, and reality distortions."

"What are we going to do?" Her father asked, his voice shaking. Eva's doctor turned to him and started, "Dr. Morrell here is a certified psychiatrist and therapist and her suggestion, one that I think would be in Eva's advantage and for her own good, that Eva be admitted involuntarily into a mental facility for evaluation before we proceed into a plan of action."

Her father's face lost color and he looked down, swallowing thickly. "Are there…any places that would be good for her…?" He asked hesitantly, and Morrell immediately answered, "Eichen House is the safest facility close to town. I work there as well. I can have her moved into the facility tonight."

The man looked up at Morrell before he flickered his gaze between her and the doctor, and eventually, he heaved out a sigh of defeat. That was all Stiles needed, and he immediately took off.

He roamed the hallways until he found the room, and he quickly walked in.

"So?" Scott started as he looked up at him, "Did it work?" He asked, and Kira stepped towards Stiles as well, a frown etched on her face.

"It worked." Stiles whispered, "She's being moved to Eichen House tonight.


	16. Can You Hear It Now

**A/N:**

**I know I took a while to post this update, but I got to it. Other than the fact that I'm a very lazy person, summer is proving to be busy. I think you all know how busy it can all get. But aside from that, are you all caught up with the new Teen Wolf episodes? Holy crap! They should change the show's rating!**

**Anyhow, we'll definitely get to that. *winks* Enjoy the chapter, my dears.**

* * *

"_All the riddles – they have one answer." Eva finally came to the end of her…dream. "A shadow."_

"_Is that like a clue? What does that mean?" Kira muttered as she glanced sideways at Scott, who frowned and shrugged a bit, confused as well. Scott turned to Deaton &amp; Morrell who both exchanged educated looks. "But you two have an idea what this could have possibly been."_

"_It seems," Deaton started quietly as he turned to Eva, "That this was some sort of communication attempt with Eva. That's why she was unconscious for such a long time. And reminding you of…the ajar doors only mean that you've got one of your own, Eva. An open door, which makes it easy for such attempts of communications with you."_

"_But isn't that bad? Won't that drive her insane?" Stiles protested, his fist pressed against his lips as he flickered his gaze from Eva to Deaton. "That's what I've been working on with Eva ever since she started talking to me." Morrell whispered, and Stiles turned to her, staring at her agape, "You knew?"_

"_Wasn't it obvious?" Morrell asked, "A druid gaining their powers essentially means that door between normal and abnormal, sane and insane, is open. Not ajar, open. As children we learn to deal with it step by step so it doesn't affect us. But Eva…you could say she's jet lagged, and it will take time for her to be able to control herself and her powers." Morrell spoke quietly, calmly, even though she watched the concern and anger rise on Stiles' expression._

"_That's not the issue." Eva started quickly, "Your mother said Rhys's body as well as the katana were in Eichen House. In the basement, just below the floor I heard the screams on." Eva started as she turned to Kira, "Maybe this whole thing was a clue." Eva shrugged as she turned to Deaton and Morrell again, "Maybe something down there will help us figure out what we're dealing with."_

"_We have three clues now." Deaton whispered, "The connection between the bodies that we still have yet to find out." Stiles immediately stood up straight, "I'm on that. I can use the files and search engine in my dad's office."_

"_The word 'Shadow'" Deaton flickered his gaze between the teenagers, "It could be a clue to _what _we're dealing with."_

"_Then we need a beastiary." Scott glanced sideways at Kira, before he nodded once, "And I'll go through what I have." Deaton nodded before he eventually breathed out, "And the clue in Eichen House."_

"_I have an idea." Eva finally whispered after a long moment of silence, "You're not going to like it." She started before she took a deep breath then turned to Morrell, "You're my therapist, right? You're the one who decides if I need to be admitted into a mental institute or not, right?" Morrell nodded slowly, before Eva took another deep breath, "Why do you usually admit patients into a mental institute?"_

"_Usually when they become too engulfed by their disease, when they can harm themselves and people around them." Morrell answered quietly, although she already understood what Eva was inkling too._

_And so did Stiles, "No, nope. Aniyo." Stiles started, shaking his head furiously, "This is a bad, bad, bad idea. No." He turned to Eva who pulled her brows into a frown and started, "We need to get into Eichen House. No one will have any reason to give us any warrants to actually go in there. It's the only way."_

"_There has to be another way." Stiles protested, before he turned to Scott and Kira, "It's a bad plan, you know that, right?"_

"_It is…but it might just work." Scott whispered hesitantly, turning his gaze to Kira who nodded quietly. _

"_Just tell me what I need to do." Eva said quickly as she turned to Morrell. Stiles chewed on the inside of his cheek as he watched the defiance in Eva's tone, and everybody else's mind set on this horrible, terrible idea. _

_Eventually they all flooded out of the room, but Stiles lingered, his eyes flickering down to Eva's hands in her lap, wringing together nervously. Stiles sat down at the edge of the bed, reaching out to place his hands over hers to still them. "This is a bad idea." He whispered, and Eva lifted her gaze to his, her eyes widened a bit with the anxiety in them._

"_I know." Eva muttered under her breath before she swallowed thickly. She remained quiet before she moved her hands so they held onto Stiles', "I'm scared."_

_Stiles tilted his head as he watched the expression on her face shift from defiance to fear. "Me too." Stiles whispered, "But Morrell said the initial admission would be for twenty-four hours, and then she can let you leave." Eva nodded slowly before tried to press her lips into a small smile, "Just twenty-four hours, right?"_

"_Yeah." Stiles breathed out before he reached out to brush her hair behind her ear, "Promise me you'll be careful." Stiles whispered and Eva smiled this time wider, "I promise." She nodded once, and Stiles glanced over his shoulder before he scooted closer to press his lips to Eva, his hands moving to hold either side of her face. Eva's hands rested against Stiles' chest as she tilted her head so the kiss could be deepened further._

_Neither of them wanted to pull away, but eventually they had to when the need to breathe was stronger than the need to just remain together. Stiles pressed his forehead against Eva's as he drew heavy breaths through his teeth, his hands brushing her hair back behind her ears before he finally opened his eyes, "I lo…be careful…" He whispered, and Eva nodded once before she pecked his lips again quickly. Then he let go of her. _

Eva had glimpsed Stiles as the orderlies escorted her out of the hospital and into the van that would take her from Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital to Eichen House. She remained quiet the whole trip, watching the night sky through the barred hole that posed as a poor excuse of a window the van's rig. Eva didn't complain, although her heart was beating fast, and she could hear its pounding in her ears as the van ventured to the outskirts of the small town.

The nurses that escorted her were gentle – but Eva saw a familiar face by the main gate that made bile rise to the back of her throat. The man who'd electrocuted Daniel that other day. Her eyes drifted to the badge on his chest that read _L. Brunski. _

"I always knew you'd join our little family, Ms. Davis." He greeted, and Eva stared at him with a scowl on her face before she kept her lips pursed, shut tightly. He lifted both brows, a smug and amused smirk curling on his reptile-looking face, one that reminded her of a snake's, "The silent treatment, huh? I hope you don't choose to be doing that at the evaluation tomorrow, unless of course you plan on spending more time with us than just seventy-two."

"Wait, I thought it was just twenty four." Eva asked hurriedly, her eyes widening. Brunski seemed to have a kick out of Eva's panic, sort of. "The assessment period is twenty-four hours. It gets decided whether you stay here or get released after seventy-two." He explained, "Since you're of legal age and you _signed _on a voluntary stay, you can sign yourself out in twenty-four, _if _we decide you're well enough to leave. Before then, no contact is allowed, no phone calls, nothing." He turned around to leave, "Follow me."

Eva's eyes flickered across the lobby to the patients, two of them sitting beside each other, just staring off into each other's face. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a girl pressed against the metal bars that kept her inside the hallway, a chunk of her hair between her teeth.

But to her surprise, she saw someone at the far corner of the room, holding a book in his hand – reading it. He lifted his gaze as if to help Eva recognize who he was, and she blinked once as her eyes met Daniel's. He stared at her at her for a long minute – not because he didn't recognize her, but because he was confused she was even here. Eva tore her gaze away from him and followed Brunski to his office.

"Empty your pockets here." He instructed as he set the plastic container on his desk, and Eva slowly started emptying her pockets – she didn't have much on her, just her phone and some change. She took off her rings and earrings and set them in the box, "That too." Brunski gestured to the wrist band on her wrist, the one Stiles had given her when he asked her to be his girlfriend. She stared down at it, before she tugged the wristband off her wrist and dropped it into the box reluctantly.

His eyes flickered down to Eva's boots before he breathed out, "Take these off. You'll wear these." He handed her a pair of cotton slippers, and the folded clothes. The uniform of the patients that stayed in Eichen House. Eva stared down at it before she took the clothes into her hands, kicking off her shoes to wear the slippers and put her shoes inside the box as well, watching attentively where he took her stuff, before she immediately turned away when he turned back to her. "Seeing as it's almost curfew, you will be escorted to the room you'll stay in. But first, we'll perform a brief physical exam. And in the morning you'll be assessed by a staff psychologist, speak to a social worker, and attend group therapy."

"Am I going to be assessed by Morrell? She's my doctor." Eva started, and Brunski lifted a brow before he nodded curtly.

"Ms. Davis?" Eva turned around and smiled when she saw Cole, the nurse she'd met the other day, standing there. "This way to your physical exam, please." He nodded once. Eva glanced back at Brunski before she followed after Cole.

"Don't tell me you cracked." He whispered under his breath and Eva looked up at him, "Do you normally talk to patients like that?" She lifted a brow, and she saw him smile. "No, just the ones I know are faking it." Cole looked down at her and narrowed his eyes, "You're too strong to crack so fast."

Eva stared at him before she let out a small smile, "You should be a psychologist or something."

"I am a social worker." Cole stopped, and Eva looked up, her eyes flickering across the sign that read infirmary. She walked in – the physical exam was brief. Blood pressure, heart beat, history of mental illness, history of hospital admission and medications administered. She was let go in no time, and followed after Cole as they made their way up the stairs, "So what are you doing here?" Cole asked.

Eva licked her lips and shook her head once, "It's better if you don't know."

Cole narrowed his eyes as they kept moving, "What if I want to help?" He asked and looked down at her. Eva stared up at him and shook her head slowly, "It's too dangerous."

Cole stopped and turned to her, "Well, I'm going to help you anyways, if you need me, okay?" He offered, and Eva frowned before she nodded slowly. "Why are you so keen on helping me?" Eva asked and tilted her head. "Because something about you is different. Just like Daniel." Eva blinked, almost confused, "Thanks…I guess."

"Come on." Cole muttered, and she followed him into the hallway. Cole opened the door to the room, and Eva blinked in surprise when she saw a girl look up at her. "Malia?" Eva whispered, before she glanced back at Cole, "It's almost curfew. I suggest you sleep." He told her, and then turned to Malia, "Treat your new roommate kindly, Malia." He told her seriously, before he left the room, and keyed it shut, locked.

Eva turned back slowly to Malia, "How are you?" Eva whispered, but Malia turned away from her, and curled up against the wall. Eva frowned before she slowly moved to the bed on the opposite end of the room and climbed onto it, leaning back against the wall, setting her new clothes beside her. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, leaning her head forward against her knees. She heard the buzz that announced that all the doors in the building were locked, and then all the lights went out. Eva flinched and closed her eyes tightly when she started hearing the echoes of the screams and pleads to get out of here.

Eva didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep until she felt the heat of the sun touch her face, and she squinted as she turned her head sideways, frowning a little when she realized she was lying on the bed, not curled up by the wall like she was.

"You were going to hurt your back and neck the way you were sleeping."

Eva glanced sideways and saw Malia sitting at the edge of her bed, her hands held together on her lap. Eva looked down at herself again, before she pushed the covers off her as she pushed herself up slowly, "Thank you." Eva whispered as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Do you know what time is it?" Eva asked as she turned to Malia, who shrugged once and shook her head, "I know they unlock the doors at 10 am, then we hit the showers, then we are let off the floors and free in the building." Malia muttered, "I've been here for two days now."

"Seventy-two hours?" Eva asked, and Malia nodded quietly, "Hopefully they'll let me out tomorrow."

Malia eventually looked down, digging her nails into her palms. "Why are you…how are you doing as a..human?" Eva asked hesitantly as she turned to sit on the edge of the bed. Malia looked up at her, and Eva could almost see the anger behind her brown eyes, before she shook her head once and looked down. "Malia?" Eva started again, concerned, yet not daring to stand up and step towards her still.

"You need to turn me back." Malia whispered, and Eva frowned, shaking her head slowly, "You want to turn back into a coyote? But we helped you, we…"

"You helped me?" Malia shook her head once, a small scoff leaving her lips, "You turned me back into a human, so I could look in my father's eyes every day and try to figure out a way to explain to him that the reason my mother and sister are dead is because I almost ate them on a full moon."

Eva blinked, feeling the tears well up in her eyes before she looked down. "I'm sorry, we were just trying to help…someone was trying to kill you and we were just trying to help." Eva whispered as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. The air between the two girls was silent, until Malia started, and Eva could almost hear the concern in her voice, "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I'm looking for something." Eva whispered, "Something that might help us figure out who's killing all these people."

"Who? Wasn't that the boy with the gun?" Malia muttered, and Eva shook her head once as she looked up at her, "Someone…something is controlling him. And there's something in the basement that might just be a clue."

"No one has a key to the basement, not even the doctors." Eva frowned, her plan to ask Cole for help going to hell with the new information. "But there's another way we can reach there." Malia muttered, and Eva sat up a little, blinking once. "The closed units. That's where they keep the real psychos."

Eva nodded quickly as she got up, glancing sideway at the door impatiently, "You can't just go directly there. You just got admitted. You need to do all of your therapy sessions." Malia pointed out as she watched Eva started pacing around the room, "We can only go at night."

Just as Malia said that, the buzz sounded off, and the door swung open on its own. Eva took a deep breath before she glanced sideways at Malia, who shrugged a little and got up, "Come on. It's going to be a long day." Malia muttered, "You should tell me exactly what is going on."

* * *

Eva sat across from Malia in the group therapy session, with them other kids, including Daniel.

"Today I want to go back to the topic of guilt. Guilt is surprisingly a very healthy, mature emotion." Morrell started, before she turned to Malia, "Malia, you said something about guilt the other day?"

"I said it made me feel sick to my stomach." Malia whispered, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Eva, her gaze burning holes into Eva's skull, causing her to hug her knees closer to her chest. "What about you, Eva? How does guilt make you feel?"

Eva looked up at her and shook her head slowly, "Like I'm suffocating. Like…Like I'm drowning."

"What about you Daniel?" Morrell asked, and Daniel took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly, "I haven't done anything wrong yet to feel guilty about it." He shrugged once, and Eva glanced sideways at him, her eyes meeting his – ones that were too familiar. Eva frowned a little as he met her gaze with a sad smile, and eventually he leaned back into his seat, crossing his arm over his chest.

"And you, Meredith? What does guilt make you feel?"

"It's a shadow…it has no shadow…" Meredith whispered, before she turned to Eva, holding her gaze, "You're one of them. You have to know. It has no shadow." Eva sat up, letting her feet down to the ground as she watched the girl twitch and hold her gaze, whispering those words over and over again. "Meredith?" Eva whispered, before she looked back at Morrell, "I can hear it. I can hear it. I hear it all the time." Meredith whispered over and over again, before she stood up, lifting her gaze to the ceiling, "It has no shadow!"

The orderlies quickly walked into the room, and dragged her outside. Morrell dismissed the session and Eva turned to her, shaking her head slowly, her eyes wide. Morrell nodded quietly before she turned to leave. Eva glanced sideways at Malia, who nodded once, and led the way out of the room. Eva followed her immediately, not giving the empty room a second look.

Eva lingered the top of the stairs, almost hesitant that she had to go downstairs again. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" Malia scolded as she turned to look up at her.

"She's hesitant." Eva whirled around to see Daniel standing beside her, "Because of the screams."

Malia mounted the stairs again slowly to place herself in front of Eva, "You should leave." She whispered under her breath, almost growled. Eva quickly placed her hand over Malia's arm, "Hey," She shook her head slowly as she looked up at Malia before she turned to Daniel, "You should leave."

"What are you two doing?" He asked, "That's none of your business." Malia snapped back, and Eva sighed heavily as she tried to wedge herself between them. "Nothing that would concern you."

"If it has to do with the screams then I want to know." Daniel demanded, "I want to know why I keep hearing someone scream till he dies every time I step foot downstairs."

Eva sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Because someone did die screaming in this place. During the second world war." Eva whispered, before she shook her head once, "We can't stand here; someone might see us." Then she turned to Malia to lead the way, who nodded once, gave Daniel a look before she started downstairs.

"Something downstairs might make sense….for a lot of things. The less you know, the better." Eva whispered, dawning upon her what she'd said, realizing she sounded just like her own mother in that minute. Eva swallowed thickly as she followed Malia in silence, ignoring the bars that held behind her the patients – ones laughing, ones just humming, and it made goose bumps rise on her skin and she almost pressed her palms to her ears to block it out.

Malia opened the door in the end of the hallway and glanced over her shoulder at Eva and Daniel, before she stepped sideways so Eva could descend the stairs beside her. Eva glanced around the basement, hardly recognizing anything since she never actually saw the place, just the insides of the walls. Eva's eyes drifted sideways, "Search for a hollow wall." She muttered under her breath, and turned around, surprised that both Daniel and Malia complied.

Daniel remained quiet, with knuckles he tapped against the walls, moving sideways trying to find the hollow wall Eva was talking about. There was something in common between him and that girl, he knew it and she knew it but neither of them knew exactly what. He tried to ignore the curiosity nagging on him, one that almost made him stop helping and try to understand what was going on.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he ran into Malia, and he quickly pulled his hand back when he felt her own ice cold ones make contact with his. "Watch out." Malia snapped under her breath, and he lifted a brow before his eyes flickered down to her hands, "You're cold."

Malia stared up at him and shrugged once, before she moved around him. Daniel glanced over his shoulder at her as she manned another wall before he shook his head once.

"Eva!" Malia called out, "I think I found it." Malia appeared and gestured for Eva to follow her, and the petite brunette immediately did, so did Daniel. Eva blinked once as she stared at the wall, "The jiko." She whispered, staring at the inverted five on the wall. "What does it mean?" Daniel asked, and Eva glanced over her shoulder at him as she stepped forward, placing her hands over the wall, "Self." She whispered as she knocked her knuckles against the wall gently, and heard the hollow inside echo.

"Step back." Daniel muttered, and when Eva and Malia turned around the boy was holding a pipe in his hand. They stood behind him as he smashed into the wall, breaking through the plank with ease until there was a gaping hole in the wall. Daniel peered inside and shook his head slowly, "There's nothing here." Daniel called out, before he grabbed the katana and stepped out, holding it out to Eva, "Nothing but this." He muttered under his breath.

Eva frowned and shook her head slowly, "That doesn't make sense. There's supposed to be a dead body in here." Eva whispered as she stepped forward, peering into the hole inside the wall herself, swallowing down the sense of déjà vu as well as the nagging claustrophobia that made the sweat break on her forehead.

"There was a dead body in here."

Eva whirled around to see Cole standing there, holding a tazer in his hands. "Cole, man, what are you doing?" Daniel started quietly, before Cole turned to him, "There was never a Cole." The man whispered, shaking his head slowly. "At least not in this decade." He shrugged once, before he quickly pressed the tazer into Malia's side. Eva let out a scream just as Daniel charged at him, and Cole threw him off into the wall.

Malia gasped on the ground as Daniel struggled to regain composure, barely pushing himself off the ground. "You, druid, you're causing me a lot of trouble. And it's funny, really, since one of your kind was the one who helped me." Cole whispered as he stepped towards hers. "Your blood. Your power."

"What do you mean?" Eva whispered slowly, and Cole chuckled, "I guess there's no point in trying to hide it all anymore." He whispered, "Noshiko didn't tell you, did she? That Rhys had a brother? A brother named Cole?"

Eva lip trembled as she shook her head slowly, "That doesn't make sense…you should be dead."

"I _am _dead, can't you see?" He frowned, "I though what that banshee said upstairs made it all clear?"

"What banshee?" Eva shook her head, now more confused. Then she remembered what Meredith had said, "It doesn't have a shadow." Eva's eyes dropped to the ground, to Cole' feet, where a shadow should be, but there was no shadow. Eva barely had time to react because he'd pushed her back against the wall, and Eva felt the splinters dig into her back as she turned her head away from him, the sudden rush of cold making her body tremble – she remembered when she'd felt that coldness before. When she was leaving the apartment building with Derek, and someone had bumped into her. It was him.

"The soldiers who killed my brother got away with it…did you expect me not to do anything? Rhys told me about Oak Creek, even though he wasn't supposed to. And when he died, the camp fell off the charts."

"A werewolf…she told me what happened. She thought I should have closure…" Cole whispered close to Eva's ear, causing her to recoil back against the wall, try to push herself away. "But I didn't need closure. I needed revenge. And there a lot of creatures in Beacon Hills that could have helped me get my revenge."

"Get your revenge from who, the nogitsune killed _all of them!" _Eva screamed, and Cole' other hand moved to press against her mouth. "That wasn't enough!" He yelled, "The pain that my brother had gone through, that was not enough!" Cole then took a deep breath, "A druid…a darach from your family promised me power. She promised to share some of her power with me, so I could get rid of all of those soldier's families..." Cole sighed as he rested his forehead against Eva's temple, "But she tricked me. All she wanted was to perform a sacrifice, gain more power…and I died. But I never really left. I stayed a victim of the nemeton, until _you _and _your aunt _came…"

Eva flickered her eyes sideways at him, now widened and filled with tears, "Oh yes, little druid, you're on my list. And you're such an easy kill when you're so weak . I might spare your brother so my source of power doesn't die out…"

Eva frowned and shook her head slowly, _what brother? _She begged to ask him the question. Cole seemed to read it on her face, "Oh, right, you don't know." He started, sounding bored, before he stepped aside, his hand still curled around her mouth as he gestured to Daniel, still disoriented on the ground, "He's your brother." Cole shrugged once before he turned to Eva again, "Now you should go have a word with your mother, find out why she never told you."

His hand dropped wrap around her neck, his thumbs pressing against her throat. Eva gasped, feeling her airways beginning to bruise as her hands clawed at his, but whenever she tried to touch him, her hands only grabbed her neck, and she couldn't get his hands off her.

That was before he disappeared, and Eva dropped to the ground, gasping for air. "Eva, Eva are you okay?" The girl looked up when she saw Derek hovering above her. She blinked slowly, confused, "How did you..?"

"Stiles figured out that the people who died were all related to the soldiers that were in that camp…and Deaton figured out what we were dealing with. It's not…well, it's dead but it's not gone yet. We need to get you out of here." He whispered as he wrapped his arm around her waist to help her up.

"What about Malia…and...Daniel..." Eva turned to look down at them, her vision clearing enough to see Morrell helping them onto their feet. "Malia will be able to leave tomorrow…as for Daniel…" Morrell looked up at Eva, "That's something you and your father need to discuss. I signed off on your discharge. Take her and go." Morell told Derek sternly, who nodded once and helped Eva on her feet, Eva whose head was spinning.


	17. No Calm Before The Storm

Stiles paced around the exam room in Deaton's clinic nervously. The twenty-four hours were up and Eva was supposed to be here by now. At least that was what he left in the text on her phone – and in a voicemail too.

"Stiles, she's going to be here." Scott whispered quietly, trying to reassure his friend, but Stiles wasn't having any of it. Eva spent a whole night in Eichen House, the institute with the highest death rate in Beacon Hills County, almost in all of California, and that harbored the most violent mental patients in the state. And she'd willingly stepped foot into it because they needed to stop whatever it was that was going after them.

His train of thought was cut off when he saw the lights through the blinds, and he hurried to the main door. He almost rammed into Derek, but the werewolf sidestepped quickly to reveal the petite brunette behind him, and Stiles didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around her, his lips finding hers. Eva's hands almost immediately moved up to hold his face, her eyes shut tightly as she kissed him as ardently as ever. With the events of the past hour, with so much confusion in her mind, and the deal of almost dying again leaving her rattled, she found her solace in being in his arms, and Stiles found his by holding her close.

"I'm okay.." She whispered as Stiles finally pulled away and held her face in both his hands, his eyes going over her small figure. Eva tilted her head downwards and tried to force a small smile on her lips as she reached out to touch his chin, lifting his gaze so he could meet her own. "I told you I'll be fine."

Stiles almost sighed in relief and pulled her again into his arms, until he saw the bruise on her neck. He'd seen bruises like that on Eva's neck before, and the sight of them made his blood run cold within his veins. His hand dropped to trace over the discolored skin, before he turned to Derek, "What happened?" Stiles asked, finally the wheels in his mind beginning to turn, "Did you need to do anything?"

Eva glanced sideways at Stiles, "You didn't have to make him stand outside of the hospital for twenty-four hours, Stiles." She whispered, already having had this argument with Derek in the car. After they'd managed to get her stuff from Brunski's office and sign her out, Eva had asked how Derek knew when to be there, and he'd eventually fessed up that Stiles was the one who almost begged that someone be there.

"From the bruises on your neck, I can tell that I did have to." Stiles whispered, before he turned to Derek, "What happened?"

"We went to the basement." Eva started quietly, "Malia, and I…" Eva's voice fell quiet before she shook her head slowly, "And…another patient. Daniel." Eva looked up at Stiles now, before her eyes flickered over his shoulder to the people that had just walked into the room, Kira, Scott, Allison, and Deaton. Deaton's eyes met Eva's for only half a second, maybe even a fraction of that as well, before he quickly turned way his gaze, and Eva pulled her brows into a frown. She could have sworn she'd glimpsed guilt in those eyes – but that wasn't her concern right now.

"We found the wall. The one that had Rhys behind it, supposedly. The body wasn't there." Eva shook her head slowly, "But the katana was. The shattered katana your mother used to kill the nogitsune."

"Where is it?" Kira asked as she stepped forward, "Do you have it?"

"It's in the car." Derek muttered, and Kira chewed on the inside of her cheek before she nodded once, "Mom said I could fix it. We might need it." Kira's gaze flickered between the Eva and Stiles, and Eva knew they knew something she didn't yet know. She shook her head slowly before she started, "There was a nurse at Eichen House. He was the one who helped me after…the suicide. He was the social worker who assessed me." Eva shook her head slowly, "His name was Cole."

"Cole Rhys." Deaton finished, and Eva looked up at him before she nodded slowly, "Younger brother to Corporal Rhys." Then Eva turned to Kira, "Your mom's Casablanca boyfriend."

Eva turned to Deaton and shook her head slowly, "He said a darach from my family tricked him. That she killed him for power but he came back when the nemeton got revived with new sacrifices." Eva whispered, "How is that even possible?"

"I can't know that. But you do." Deaton whispered, and Eva frowned, her eyes flickering to Stiles face before she looked at Deaton again, "I do?"

"All that the druids before you knew, all that they did. You'll know." Deaton started quietly, before he shook his head once, "But that's not what I'm asking you to do. That's not what I'm asking you to remember." He moved around slowly, crouching down to tug a floorboard off the floor, "Every druid family has…a book. Our ancestors write into it what they've seen of imbalance and what they've done to undo it. We call it a journal." Deaton pulled out a small, diary looking book.

"You have that." Derek started quickly as he looked down at Eva, and Eva looked up at him slowly before she nodded her head once, "I do. I found it in Julia's belongings but I never opened it." Eva started as she turned to Deaton, who immediately stood up, "Well, we need to work fast. We need to find out what has been done to figure out how it can be undone."

"What about Cole? You said you figured out the connection between the people who died, right?" Eva asked quickly, and Stiles nodded once as he hurried inside, then emerged again with his backpack, "Lots of the officers who died in Oak Creek had families that lived in Beacon Hills. They may have looked young, but half of them were expecting children. Children that lived on. Had families, until today." Stiles muttered as he laid out research papers on the counter, "All those who died were given financial support from the military, an ongoing complement for what happened in Oak Creek."

Stiles laid out a photos and names, twelve names – eleven photos and one name without a photo. "That's the kid from Eichen House, and his dad. Those are the couple in the woods. That's Isaac and his da, and that's his brother – he died. And the girl who made the bomb at school and her father. He died a few years ago, as well Isaac's dad so he's crossed off the list." Stiles out a long sigh as Eva's eyes fell on the last row of photos, "The Tates." Eva looked up at Stiles, "The explosion at the school _was _meant to kill Malia."

"We need to keep those people safe until we figure out how to stop this." Eva muttered quickly as she stood up straight, turning to Scott and Deaton. "They are all over Beacon Hills. It would be too hard." Allison frowned.

"Not if I helped."

The teenagers turned to the clinic's door to see Noshiko standing there, her army of six Oni standing behind her. Eva stepped towards her, her eyes flickering across the masks of the Oni before they found the woman's eyes, "All that is happening now is a reaction to my own doing. I've come here to this town to prevent that, and I'm still here to do it."

Eva swallowed thickly before she glanced back at Stiles, "Give her the names." She nodded once, and Stiles reluctantly stepped forward to hand Noshiko the list. She whispered something Eva didn't decipher, before the Oni disappeared into thin air.

"Mom," Kira started, "I thought kitsunes only had seven tails. Those were six of the Oni." Noshiko turned to her daughter, and Eva frowned, shaking her head slowly in confusion.

"To summon the Oni, a kitsune has to sacrifice a tail." Kira explain, before Stiles took over, "A kitsune's tails are the source of its power." He whispered, before he turned to Noshiko, "If she only has one tail left, then she might as well be as weak as all of us. She can't fight."

"Don't worry." Noshiko muttered as she brought out a dagger from inside her coat, "This is the last kaiken, the last tail, and I plan on holding it close."

"Not because your life depends on it, Mom." Kira argued, and Noshiko sighed once, "Because that one will have the strongest Oni, right?"

"We won't need more Oni," Allison started, shaking her head slowly, "No one is going to get hurt tonight. We're going to protect everyone." Eva turned to Allison, who was laying out her arrows on the counter, the pads of her fingers going over them before she tucked them all into the case on her back. Eva's eyes lingered on the arrow heads, and her eyes flickered up to meet Allison's face, before she smiled briefly at her and nodded once, "Allison's right." Eva started defiantly, "We go now, we still have time to stop this. No more people have to die."

"The Oni won't be enough to protect the baby." Scott started, "I'm going to the social services building to keep an eye on her."

"I'm coming with you." Allison said quickly, and Eva nodded once, "I think we should all be distributed. Someone should be at Eichen House, someone else at Mr. Tate's house. Someone with Isaac. So if something happens, we all just go there at once." Eva suggested, and Derek started, "I'm taking the twins to Eichen House."

"And I'll tell my dad to look after Isaac and tell him to keep an eye on Mr. Tate as well." Allison started as she quickly brought out her phone. "What about me?" Kira asked quickly, and her mother was quick to answer, "You and I are going to fix the katana." Her mother told her.

Eva waited but no other words broke the silence, so she started, "I have to go get that book." She whispered as she started back towards the door, "I'm coming with you." Stiles whispered sternly as he reached out and gripped her wrist. Eva stared at him, before she nodded slowly, and hurried out of the clinic with. She grabbed the rest of her stuff as well as her clothes from Derek's car and hopped into the back of the jeep.

She remained silent as Stiles took off, fumbling in the back seat as she took off the Eichen House uniform and put her own clothes back on. Stiles' eyes drifted nervously between the rearview mirror and the dashboard, whenever his eyes caught sight of Eva's skin, or her back, or the scar still left from the Oni's sword, he turned his gaze away, until the girl finally climbed into the passenger seat beside him. Stiles glanced sideways, watching as she slipped his wristband on her hand before she settled into the seat.

"Stiles." Eva whispered, frowning a bit as she glanced sideways at him, "There's something…actually, more than one thing that you need to know." She started quietly, and he glanced sideways at her, a frown etched on his face. But he remained silent. Eva swallowed thickly before she started, "Remember the favor I was supposed to do for Peter?" She asked as she glanced sideways at him, and Stiles' foot almost rammed against the brakes, but he refrained. They barely had any time. "Yeah, the memory that he needed to know about." Stiles whispered through his teeth, his grip on the stirring wheel tightening.

Eva nodded slowly, her eyes on his white knuckles, "Peter has a kid." Eva whispered as she flickered her eyes to his face, and blinked once as he met her gaze with his own eyes widened in shock, "Wait, Peter? As in psychopath Peter Hale who manipulates anything that could breathe?" He demanded and Eva nodded once, "Yeah…He knows he has a kid. He just doesn't know who she is."

"She?" Stiles frowned as he turned to Eva, shaking his head slowly, "Wait, is he your-"

"God, no!" Eva shook her head quickly, waving her hands in rejection the thought, "No, no it's not me." Eva sighed as she ran her hand through her hair, "It's Malia." Eva looked up at Stiles, who turned his gaze back to the road. "My head hurts." He whispered and Eva swallowed thickly, her gaze dropping to her hands that she laid in her lap.

"You said you had more than one thing you wanted to tell me." Stiles started quietly, "What's the other thing?"

Eva chewed on the corner of her lips before she started, "Cole said…" Eva started quietly, frowning as she closed her eyes, "He said that he was drawing his power from my bloodline, my power." She started, but Stiles quickly interrupted, "But he was going to kill you." He said quickly, glancing sideways at her.

"He said…He said he could just use my brother until he doesn't need to anymore." Eva glanced sideways at Stiles, who almost stopped the car again, this time actually slowing it down before he again realized the intensity of the situation they were in and continued, "He said Daniel is my brother."

"The patient who has been in Eichen House for years now?" Stiles whispered, and Eva flinched at thought before she nodded slowly. "When I mentioned him back at the clinic, Deaton had this guilty look on his face. I already knew he and his sister knew my family. But how much did they know them?" Eva shook her head slowly, before she sighed heavily, "This is not even important right now but I needed to tell someone." Eva sighed, her gaze drifting to the window. Stiles glanced sideways at her, the words lodged in his throat, but nothing he could say would make the information any less confusing.

Eventually, they finally arrived at the apartment complex. Eva was almost jumping on her feet inside the elevator, until she'd reached the floor she lived on. She hurriedly opened the door, Stiles standing beside her, his eyes flickering across the hallway until Eva finally walked in.

But they walked in to Cole standing right in front of them, two of the Oni behind him. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out." He started, holding up the journal in his hand. Eva stared at him, her eyes widened as her gaze flickered between his face and the journal. But only one thought crossed her mind, "Where's my dad?" Eva whispered, her voice dropping into a tone that wasn't as terrified as it was mad. Stiles' eyes flickered down to her, before he held his ground, his eyes meeting Cole' – the man who was supposed to be a ghost.

"I thought you'd be more curious about how I'm controlling your…guardians." Cole muttered as she gestured over his shoulder to the Oni behind him, and Eva frowned as she stepped forward, "Let go of that journal." She started slowly, taking another step forward. As soon as she did, as soon as she was out of the small hallway and standing in front of the living room, she saw her father lying on the ground, a wound in his side. She sucked in a deep breath through her teeth as she turned her gaze to Cole, "I'm going to kill you."

"Now that's more like it." Cole smiled at her sweetly, "But I don't think you will. At least not before the poison on the Oni's blade kills him first." Cole stepped towards her and held out the journal towards her, "But I like to play fair. I'm going to give you a chance to fight back, but what will you chose, Druid? Saving your people, or getting rid of me?"

Eva's eyes flickered down to the journal before she reached out and took the journal from him hesitantly, "People…" Stiles started, "Who else did you hurt?"

"Oh well, mostly the parents council of your…what do you call it?" Cole lifted a brow, "Your dysfunctional scooby doo gang?" Cole smiled at Stiles, a smile that held a smugness to it that made Eva snatch the journal from his hand and step back away from him quickly, "And now you."

The Oni behind him disappeared, before it reappeared in front of Stiles. Eva whirled around just in time to see the sword swing down against Stiles, who stepped back and held his arms up in protection. "No!" Eva screamed, launching herself forward, doing the first thing she could think of – she dug her hand into the Oni's back, her fingers curling around something small that wriggled inside the palm of her hand. And she pulled it out, watching the Oni dissipate into thin air, before it finally disappeared, its sword dropping to the ground with a cling. Eva looked down at her closed fist, before she slowly opened it, her eyes watching the firefly in her hand, watching its light slowly go out. Eva dropped the insect to the ground and stepped on it with vigor, before she whirled around to Cole, to the other Oni – but they were gone.

"How did you do that?" Stiles whispered, and Eva shook her head slowly. "I don't know." She whispered before she glanced sideways at the living room, and she hurried towards her father – who was lying on the ground, almost unconscious. "Dad…Dad, you hold on, okay? I'm going to end this." Eva flickered her gaze back to Stiles, "Help me." She whispered, before her eyes fell on the bloody tear on the sleeve of his shirt, "It cut you." Eva whispered, and Stiles quickly shook his head as he knelt down to help her, and they both managed to lift up her father and lay him on the couch. Eva's eyes flickered to the gash on Stiles' arm, before they fell on the similar one on her father's side. "Um…" Eva frowned, closing her eyes as she tried to think, but Stiles had already taken off his plaid shirt and tore a piece from it, tying it around the wound.

Eva glanced sideways at Stiles as he worked, before she sat back, the tears welling up in her eyes as she watched her father's face begin to loose color. She took his hand, "You'll be fine, okay? I promise." Eva whispered as she stroked back his hair, "You'll be fine, I promise."

"I've always believed in you, Eva." The man whispered, smiling at her as he reached out to hold her face. Eva sniffled and nodded slowly, "I won't let you down." She whispered; before he pulled her down to kiss her forehead. Eva slowly stood up, grabbing the journal from beside her as she glanced sideways at Stiles, "I can't leave him alone." Eva turned to him, before her eyes fell to the gash on his arm. Her eyes flickered down to the remnants of his plaid shirt, before she tore another piece from it. She wrapped the cloth around Stiles' arm before she tied it, "Tighter." He told her, and Eva frowned before she tightened the knot, then looked up at him again. "Don't you dare die." She whispered, "And don't let my dad die."

"I'll do my best." Stiles nodded, a weak smile curling on his lips before he leaned down to press his lips to Eva's. Her hands moved to grip the shirt he was wearing, not really wanting to let go, but eventually, reluctantly, she did. Stiles dug out the keys to the jeep and handed them to her, before she nodded slowly as she gripped the keys and the journal and turned to leave.

"Eva," Stiles called out, and Eva turned around, a frown etched on her face. His lip trembled with the words he struggled to say, three words that meant so much to him, to her, but he still didn't have the courage to say, even when this could probably be the last time they saw each other – especially because this could be the last time they saw each other. "Come back to me, okay?" Stiles finally breathed out, and smiled briefly, "I believe in you."

"You have way too much faith in me." She whispered, and Stiles shook his head slowly, "That's because you don't have nearly enough of faith in yourself."

Eva remained silent, letting his words sink in before she nodded slowly, "I'll come back to you." She whispered, "I promise."

It was a promise Eva didn't know whether she'd be capable of keeping, but she knew as she turned to leave the apartment building, that she had to try.


	18. All Is Fair

**A/N:**

**We are nearing the end my friends, hold on tight because it does _not _get any easier.  
Also, also, GREAT news, A) I am now posting my Halloween themed AU on my tumblr (my blog is dystopiiann, and it's tagged under writing:poltergeist.) B) The name of the third sequel is Who We Are, and the series has been finally named The Resurrection Series.  
I'm so excited because things are about to get great! If you think you've seen dark, you're way wrong. **

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Eva didn't have time to read the journal or check out what could possibly help her inside it. Her heart was beating fast inside her chest, her mind running a million miles per minute and she could barely focus on anything. She didn't know whether to think about the poison running in her father's and now her boyfriend's veins, or about how exactly Cole had gotten control of the oni, whether Kira and her mother were okay, whether all of her friends were okay, and then there was Malia, and there was Daniel. The thoughts jumped within the confines of her skull, making it sound like a pinball machine was going on and on inside her head and she couldn't stop it.

Her hands gripped the wheel of the Jeep tightly, her eyes watching the road intently, her hazel hues flickering frantically across the darkened road until she had finally reached the animal clinic and parked the car. She felt the breath get caught in her chest when she saw the door open, the light inside flickering. Eva wasted no time, running towards the clinic's door, clutching the journal in her free hand.

When she walked in, she saw Kira and her mother kneeling down beside Deaton, slowly helping him up. Her eyes flickered to the gash on his leg before she let out a broken whisper, "How can he do that? Control the Oni?"

"He took the last kaiken." Noshiko whispered, "he showed up here and I summoned the Oni to protect us…but he took control…" Noshiko's eyes flickered down to the remnants of the kaiken on the floor, as did Eva's eyes, before she turned to Deaton, "I got the journal." She whispered hesitantly, and the man nodded as he slowly got onto his one good leg and let the Yukimura ladies help him to the nearest seat, "Open it." He whispered, and Eva looked down at it as she stepped into the clinic and close the door.

"Kira, we have to fix the sword." Noshiko told her hurriedly as she stepped back towards the counter, the pieces of the katana scattered on it but not too scattered that it couldn't be rearranged. Eva watched as her friend turned to her, "What about Stiles?"

"The sword got him too….and my dad, Stiles stayed with him." Eva whispered shakily, before she hurried to sit down beside Deaton and opened the journal. But when she looked down at the withered pages, the pads of her fingers moving over the uneven texture, the uneven, _clear _paper. "It's empty." She whispered as she glanced sideways at Deaton, who shook his head once. "It can only be revealed by blood." He whispered, "Some…of the oldest families do that, to keep their secrets away from the curious eye, especially one that would have wanted to destroy this to keep itself safe."

Eva nodded slowly as she looked down at the open journal, before she leaned down to pick up a shard of glass from the ground to press it into her palm. Eva held up her hand over the page and curled her fingers into a tight fist, until the single drop fell onto the page, a ripple effect revealing the words to Eva. She watched as the words etched themselves on the paper as if they were being rewritten, and swallowed thickly as she used her clean hand to flip through the pages – the many pages with different dates.

"I don't have time to search through all of this." Eva whispered as she turned to Deaton, the despair beginning to grip at her and made her chest tighten. Deaton shook his head slowly, "If you know what you're looking for, you'll find it."

Eva looked down at the journal, before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The name _Cole Rhys _rung inside her mind as her hand moved effortlessly, turning over the pages until she finally stopped, and when she opened her eyes and looked down, the first thing she saw was the name _Cole Rhys. _

"Read." Deaton whispered, and Eva nodded slowly as she swallowed down the lump in her throat and started, "Cole Rhys was another vengeful soul I could draw upon – vengeance, a very underestimated human emotion. One that could fuel an army of a thousand men, and I had him in the palm of my hands." Eva frowned, her eyes flickering across the page, before she focused back where she stopped. Her eyes flickered down to the sketch of a pendant. No, a locket. It had a Celtic symbol on it, one Eva didn't recognize but was told exactly what by the scribbles beside it.

"She used him." Eva whispered as she read on and looked up at Deaton, "She drew on his vengeance, on his life. And he died because she took too much." Eva whispered, as she handed the journal to Deaton to read it, "It seems," He started, his voice heavy, exhausted, "That the locket kept him linked to the nemeton."

"Then that's what we need to destroy." Eva deduced quietly, before she shook her head slowly. "That sounds way too easy."

"If the Oni are protecting him then getting close to him would be the furthest thing from easy." Noshiko whispered as she stepped back, as did Kira, from the counter. Eva rose to her feet slowly, closing the journal to tuck it inside her jacket. "Kira." Her mother whispered, and Eva blinked slowly as she watched her friend hover her palm above the pieces of the katana. The static electricity turned into one that Eva could see with her own eyes, one that became too bright for her to keep her eyes open. Eva could feel the power radiating off the kitsunes before her.

When Eva opened her eyes, Kira was holding a perfectly welded sword in her grip, her eyes staring at it in awe as well as alarm, and she turned to her mother and Eva as well. Eva watched Kira step back and take a swing with it, the sword moving gracefully as if Kira didn't even need to control it – as if it knew what Kira wanted to do.

"It will give you balance, and it will be indestructible against the Oni's strikes." Noshiko whispered, and Eva felt the word indestructible run a tremor of worry through her body. If she had effortlessly destroyed one of the 'indestructible' Oni, was Kira's sword really going to hold up against them, or was it going to fail her, possibly put her in danger?

Eva couldn't think of that right now. "We have to find that locket." Eva whispered, just as her phone started ringing. Eva frowned as she pulled it out of her heart jumping at the possibility that it could be Stiles, but it wasn't – it was Lydia.

"Lydia?" Eva whispered into the phone, and she herd her friend's ragged breath on the other end, "Lydia, what is it?"

"Eva don't go anywhere. Just stay where you are." Lydia gasped, and Eva frowned as she looked up at Kira, whose phone began ringing too.

"Lydia? Why do you say that? What did you hear?" Eva whispered into the phone hurriedly, trying to hear Kira's conversation as well. "Eva, you have to trust me. Do not go—" And the line got cut off. Eva's eyes widened as she turned to Kira, who hung up and shook her head slowly. "The Oni are attacking Scott and Allison, the twins and Derek are on their way there." Kira whispered, and Eva nodded as she looked down at her phone again – not texts, no other call. Eva shook her head, "Let's go." Eva whispered as she hurried past Kira to get into the jeep.

Eva dialed Stiles' number as soon as she pulled away from the parking lot and onto the road, "Stiles," She breathed out in relief when he finally picked up.

"Are you okay? What's happening?" Stiles whispered, though his voice held a gruff tone to it, a tone that was only an inkling to exhaustion.

"We know what we need to do now. There's a pendant that links Cole to the nemeton. If we destroy it, he's gone." Eva whispered, "So what is he like a ghost?" Stiles asked, and that's when it hit Eva. "A ghost…"

"Scáth-níos." Eva recalled one of the words she'd read online when she researched Celtic Mythology.

"What?" Stiles whispered, "Shadow-less. The Shadow-less. It's a creature in Celtic Mythology. It's…a trickster, sometimes it brings good fortune if it was born of a sacrifice, and if it was born out of murder, it brings bad fortune. It strives on chaos. A lot like a nogitsune." Eva shook her head slowly, incapable of believing how she didn't remember that, "It's also called the Ghost. A Púca."

"Yeah, the first name sounds way cooler than that." Stiles breathed out tiredly, and Eva felt a weak laugh her lips before she licked her lips, "The way it was born is what decides how it can be destroyed." She finally finished, glancing sideways at Kira who tapped her shoulder and told her to turn left.

"Be careful, okay? Vengeful born spirits are not something I want around you, or apparently the Oni that it controls." Stiles whispered, and Eva smiled a bit as she held the phone up with her shoulder, using bot her hands to turn again when Kira told her to. "How's my dad?" Eva whispered, her voice dropping to a more morose tone.

"Your dad gave me the don't hurt my daughter speech, so I would say he's doing well too." Stiles joked, trying to make Eva smiled, and he succeeded. "He's holding up. But I'm thinking doctors would be able to help him better than I can. Keep him stable, you know?"

Eva chewed on the inside of her cheek before she let out a small huff, "Do what you know you can do." She muttered, "I trust you."

"I promise I won't screw up." Stiles whispered hurriedly, and Eva shook her head slowly, "You won't. I have as much faith in you as you do in me. You don't give yourself enough credit, Stiles." Eva found herself blurting out, "You don't screw up. You're too smart." She smiled a bit, not really knowing why she was saying those words, but she couldn't help it – especially after the call Lydia gave her. This could really be the last time she ever talked to Stiles.

"Look, whatever happens, you promise me you'll be okay. You're worth so much more than to let yourself think that you're so much lesser than who you really are. Promise, okay?" Eva whispered into the phone hurriedly as Kira told Eva to slow down. "Eva, don't talk like that." Stiles whispered into the phone, and Eva felt her eyes well up, "No, Stiles, promise me."

"I promise." He eventually sighed reluctantly, and Eva nodded once as stopped the car, "I have to go."

"Eva," Stiles started quickly, "I'll see you later." He whispered hopefully into the phone, and Eva frowned as she closed her eyes, letting the tears trickle down her face, "Yeah." She whispered before she hung up, knowing if she stayed on the line any longer, she'd say something she knows would probably hurt him.

"Are you okay?" Kira whispered, and Eva nodded quickly, "Yeah, I'm fine." Eva muttered as she hastily wiped away her tears and shoved her phone back into her jacket. "Let's go."

Eva glanced sideways at Kira as they stepped out of the Jeep, before her eyes drifted to the sign that said, _Beacon County Social Services Building. _She moved around the jeep and opened the trunk, grabbing Stiles' metal bat, before she shut the trunk and went to stand beside Kira.

"Do you hear them?" Eva glanced sideways at Kira, who nodded slowly, "Yes." Kira stepped forward, making her way first with her sword held in front of her. Eva gripped the bat with both hands and moved after her slowly.

The feeling of death that loomed in the place hit her before the sight, mostly because the lights above them were flickering frantically and quickly, so fast they started to give Eva a headache. She glanced sideways as she walked, and for a moment, the light came back on, and Eva had to suppress the shriek that almost left her lips.

Bodies – dead bodies, lying across the ground. People whose abdomen's were slain, people with their throats slit. Works of a sword. Eva turned her gaze forward quickly, "We have to move faster." Eva whispered as she followed Kira towards the elevator. "Are you sure this will work?" Eva whispered as they got into it. "Rooftop." Kira whispered, and Eva nodded as she pressed the button.

"What did Lydia say, Eva?" Kira asked quietly as she turned to her, "Should I get ready to see my best friend die in front of me again?"

Eva glanced sideways at her, shaking her head slowly, "I don't know, Kira. She kept telling me not to go anywhere." Eva whispered as she looked down, before the elevator came to an abrupt stop, making both girls lose their balance. "What the-" Eva whispered and glanced around as the lights inside the elevator went out.

"Wait." Kira whispered as she glanced around, "Can you hold me up?" Kira glanced sideways at Eva, who lifted both brows and nodded slowly. "I can try, I guess." Eva muttered as she put her hands together for Kira to step up on. The girl rammed her hand against the emergency door at the top of the elevator, before she finally bent it, then broke it. Kira climbed up on top of the elevator, her eyes searching for the electricity box on top of the elevator.

"What are you doing?" Eva called out, her eyes flickering across the elevator nervously. Kira remained silent as she struck the lock with her sword and opened the box slowly. Her eyes flickered across the wires, finding herself helpless in what to do exactly. Eventually, the girl just hovered her palm above the box just like she'd done earlier – and just like that, the elevator came to life again.

Eva almost fell again when it started working, before she stepped sideways as Kira jumped back in. "What did you do?" Eva asked curiously, and Kira shrugged once as she glanced sideways at her friend. "Just gave it a little spark."

Eva lifted a brow before she let out a small laugh, a weak one that eased the tension momentarily, before the two girls held their breaths, standing tall, as the doors opened. Eva's eyes flickered across the mess on the last floor, people on the ground, people trying to help. Children crying somewhere inside one of the rooms.

"Stairs." Kira pointed forward and she took off in a sprint. Eva grabbed the bat and ran after her, both of them taking the stairs in two despite their short legs, until they opened the door to the roof.

"Kira!" Scott called out as he pushed off one of the Oni. The girl didn't hesitant, she took off to help. Eva's eyes flickered across the Oni – there were only three. One of them Allison was fighting, and behind Allison, Eva saw the baby girl in a car seat. Eva took off into a sprint to distract the Oni that was attacking Allison, "Hey!" She called out as she rammed the bat against the ground, "Demon warrior!"

The Oni turned to her as if offended, "Who needs a self-check now." Eva whispered as she took a deep breath, then held up her hand to flick her wrist once, watching as the Oni dissipated as if it had just been slashed through with a sword. Eva almost smiled, until Allison screamed, "Behind you!"

Eva quickly whirled around, holding up the bat to block the Oni's sword, before she jumped back quickly. Allison's arrow flew right by the Oni, and Eva watched as it turned towards her again. "Go!" Allison called out to Eva, who nodded quickly and ran towards the baby seat. Only she saw Cole standing right in front of it, "Step back!" She called out, holding out the bat ready to swing it at him as she drew closer.

Cole looked up at her and laughed, "Really? A baseball bat?"

Eva looked down at the sleeping baby, before she looked up at Cole, her chest rising and falling quickly, "Look at her, Cole." Eva whispered, shaking her head slowly, "She's an orphan. She's lost everything. Just like you. Isn't that enough? Isn't that better than just killing her?" Eva whispered, her eyes moving over him, searching frantically.

"You really think you can trick me with a few words, Druid?" He whispered, his eyes holding a scathing stare that burned into her head. "I'm a trickster. You cannot trick a trickster."

"You're not a trickster." Eva whispered, since the compromising approach didn't work, "You're just a pathetic, restless soul that is killing for no reason." Eva's eyes still searched for anything, the glint of a chain. Anything.

"No reason!" He roared, and Eva flinched, but held her ground. "My brother is dead because of those people!"

"Not _these _people!" Eva exclaimed, gesturing towards the baby, "She's a baby! What does she even know about any of this!" Eva yelled, with her indignation she gained courage, stepping forward towards Cole. Her eyes searched his neck again, his pockets – nothing. Eva realized that the pendant wasn't on him.

"She will die." Cole' voice dropped as he backhanded Eva to the ground – the strike made Eva's ear begin ringing, the pain rattling her skull and making her head spin momentarily. She quickly sat up, pushing herself back, "But it's you I have to get rid of, first, isn't it?" He whispered as he turned to Eva, and Eva saw the Oni appear in front of him, hovering above her. She lifted her hand in an attempt to whisper an incantation – anything, but it was as if the strike she received knocked all of what she knew out of her head.

But an arrow came flying into the Oni's chest as it lifted its sword, and Eva gasped as the sword dropped to the ground beside her. Eva's eyes flickered up to the Oni again as the yellow light seemed to come out of the wound the arrow made, and she watched it try to pull it out – but the ground shook beneath them as the Oni exploded into yellow, then disappeared.

Eva looked up, saw Cole' face change, and saw him disappear with the wind. Eva turned back quickly to see Allison lowering her bow slowly, a smile of disbelief on her face. But Eva saw something Allison didn't, and she screamed, "Allison!"

The girl turned to her just as the Oni stepped in front of her and pushed its sword into her body. Eva peeled herself off the ground, on instinct, just like before, she launched herself at the Oni, pushing her hand yet again into its chest to pull out the firefly and watch it disseminate into thin air as well as its sword did.

Eva turned back to Allison just as Scott hurried to catch her as she fell back, and she stepped back slowly as Scott cradled Allison into his arms. Eva watched her friend's face lose color faster than healthy, her brown eyes widened – not with fear, but with relief. "I killed it…it's dead…the arrows..." Allison whispered hurriedly, and Scott quickly brushed away her tears and pushed back her hair as his eyes welled up, "You did…You did. You're amazing…" He whispered as he took her hand, and Eva watched the veins on his arm blacken, and Allison's body relaxed in Scott's arms. "You have to tell my dad…"

That's when it hit Eva – what Lydia was saying. Eva wasn't supposed to go, because Allison saved her life and in turn… Eva stepped back slowly, drowning it all out. She couldn't look at this, she couldn't hear this. She couldn't bear it. Eva felt herself bump into Kira, who had let her sword drop to the ground. Their eyes met, and Eva knew Kira understood exactly what was going on in her head. Kira pulled her friend close, letting Eva rest her head on Kira's shoulder. Eva's body trembled, until she heard Scott's cry of agony and grief, something she couldn't drown out, and she shut her eyes tightly, letting the tears trickle down her face as a broken sob left her lips.


	19. In The Aftermath

**A/N:**

**I know it has been literally ages and I think I'm just writing this fanfic to give myself feels but oh well - anyways, you should be glad to know that I got into med school *throws confetti* and 98% of my time is dedicated to studying, (the rest is for sleeping) so I actually forgot about my internet world for a while, but hopefully, I'll be better with the updates. I'm sorry I left you guys with such a cliffhanger, but but but, if anyone still DOES read the fanfic, bless you, you're a sweetheart, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy my writing thus far!**

* * *

"_You were on your way home from the Social Services building – the four of you decided to visit the little girl you saved in the forest." Chris Argent's voice echoed behind Eva, but she leaned against the hood of the car, incapable of speaking, incapable of deciphering what had happened. "Eva, look at me." Chris repeated, and she blinked quickly just to show him she heard what he was saying._

"_Scott and Kira were on his dirt bike so they were ahead, they didn't have time to turn back when the car got jumped." Chris whispered as he turned around to Scott, who was still holding Allison's body in his arms. They were no longer on top of the Social Services building – they were a few miles ahead on the highway that led to it. Chris created a whole scene, even scratched Allison's car using the Oni's blade that was left on the roof to make if more believable. _

_The story was: Allison, Eva, Scott, and Kira wanted to visit the Social Services building to check on the baby girl that Scott and Eva found in the woods the day they went out to search for Malia. They left before some sort of gang attacked the building, suspects with masks that were spotted all over town. Some of them were on the road, and they jumped the car Allison and Eva were in. They both got out, but Allison tried to fight them off, got stabbed, and they ran away._

_Chris had fashioned everything on his way – when Kira had called him to tell him his daughter was no longer alive, and Eva curled on the ground, watching Scott in the distance, his arms wound around Allison and holding her so tightly as if just holding her would bring her back._

"_You called me first, okay?" Chris whispered, "Kira, what do you say?" _

"_I called you first." She whispered, "I called her dad."_

"_Good." Chris nodded, before he turned to Scott and Eva. He knew Kira would tell the story word to word – But Eva and Scott, they were the ones Chris knew would cave. The ones who would break. "Then what do you say?"_

"_The car drove on something…the tires got blown. We had to stop.." Eva shook her head slowly, "They came out of the trees." Eva whispered, still staring ahead blankly, "We couldn't see their faces…I think they had masks on, I don't remember." _

"_I stopped when I heard Allison's car, and when I looked back I saw two of them, they had a knife." Scott stumbled over his words, before Chris interrupted him, "Not a knife,Scott. You can't be specific. You saw something sharp. Something metallic." Scott nodded slowly, before Chris turned his gaze to Eva. She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes as the tears trickled down her cheeks, "They told us to get out of the car so we did…" Eva whispered, her throat closing up. She couldn't say this – she couldn't tell a tale about how Allison died when that wasn't the truth, when the truth was that she'd died saving Eva's life. That it was essentially Eva's fault._

"_Eva, what do you say when you get confused? What do you say?" Chris demanded, and Eva shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry, I don't remember. It just happened so fast." Eva opened her eyes slowly and wiped away her tears, "Good, what next?"_

"_How are you doing this?" Eva asked as she looked up at him, her voice shaking. She saw Chris' eyes widen momentarily, as if her words drew him back to the reality in which his daughter was dead. She saw the tears in his eyes, watched them well up as he turned away from her, "It's what we do." He said quietly, and Eva stared at him before she turned her gaze away. _

Eva sat beside Kira in the police station, her eyes on the ground – never turned away. Lydia's phone call played over and over in Eva's head, along with all the possibilities; all the what ifs. It drove her mad, just sitting there, thinking that maybe – just maybe, if she'd listened to Lydia, Allison would be with them right now, and they wouldn't be lined up in the police station waiting to give their testimony on a murder.

"Eva." The brunette looked up when she heard the door open, her eyes meeting the Sheriff's. She saw Scott walk out of his office slowly, and she turned her gaze to him, watching as he nodded slowly. Eva pushed herself up on shaking legs and stepped towards the Sheriff, before he stepped aside to let her in. Eva's eyes drifted to the rolled up sleeve and the bandage wrapped around his arm. She frowned, her eyes flickering up to his tired face, before she walked in slowly.

Eva glanced around the Sheriff's office – everything in it seemed unfamiliar. Her eyes met Parrish's, who pursed his lips sadly, "Sit down, Eva." He motioned for the couch behind her, and Eva slowly did as told – that was all she could do now. Do as told.

"What happened, Eva?" Parrish asked as he brought out a recorder and set it beside him on the desk. Eva glanced sideways at the Sheriff, who nodded encouragingly. Eva swallowed thickly before she turned to Parrish and started, "We were on the highway. We were on our way back…The tires got blown because we ran over something, and they came out of the trees." Eva whispered, word for word, trying to control herself – she couldn't look Parrish in the eyes, or the Sheriff, so she just turned to look at the ground instead, again.

"They told us to get out so we did." Eva whispered, her voice beginning to shake as her eyes welled up again, "And…we saw um..something sharp, I saw something sharp…" Eva chewed on the inside of her cheek, "I started to panic, and one of them told me to keep quiet, but I couldn't…and Allison, she—she told him to stay away from me and…"

Eva shook her head slowly as she blinked away the tears and watched them drop to the ground. The Sheriff looked up at Parrish, and he nodded slowly before he turned to her, "Do you remember anything else?"

Eva shook her head slowly as she sniffled, "It's just…It happened so fast." Eva swallowed thickly, before she eventually got up and headed towards the desk to sign off on her testimony. The Sheriff signed on both of Kira and Scott's. Before Eva left the office, she turned to the Sheirff after Parrish left. "What happened to your arm?"

"One of those masked figures showed up in the station…two, actually." The Sheriff gestured over her head, "No one got hurt seriously…" When Eva looked up at the Sheriff, she frowned, "But…" The Sheriff turned to grab a paper and scribble something down on it. _Raphael McCall. _Eva looked up at him, eyes wide – she knew the Sheriff had the poison of the blade running in his system as well. And now, now Scott's dad was in the hospital and Scott didn't even know. Eva felt the responsibility add onto the guilt, and the crushing weight started to feel too much for her to handle.

She turned to leave, "Eva." The Sheriff called out, and the girl turned back to him. "You're going to be okay."

Eva shook her head slowly as her eyes began to well up, "She saved my life, got too distracted to watch her own back." Eva whispered, "She's gone because of me."

"That's not true. You were doing what had to be done. She was as well." The man told her, and Eva let her gaze drift to the ground. "Allison Argent was one of the bravest and strongest people I knew, and so are you." The Sheriff nodded once, and Eva flickered her gaze up to his face, shaking her head slowly, "I'm not strong." Eva whispered, "At least, I'm not strong enough to save everyone and I know I have to."

The Sheriff let the corners of his lips curl up into a weak smile, "You've got what it takes, Eva Davis. I've seen you change, and you've done it so well. Keeping up good grades, saving people…"

"I'm failing my Econ class." Eva whispered, "Coach's class?" The Sheriff asked, and Eva nodded slowly, "Don't you worry about that. Bobby's an old friend of mine."

Eva felt her eyes well up again, "Thank you." Eva whispered, "Come here." He stepped towards her, and Eva closed her eyes as she felt the man wrap his arms around her tightly. Eva leaned her head against his arm, his good one, and blinked the tears out of her eyes, "My dad's in the hospital right now. He might die." Eva whispered, "And I have to stop it, and I have no idea if I can do it."

"You can stop it. I know you can." The Sheriff nodded once as he patted her back gently and pulled away. Eva tried to smile at him before she stepped back to leave the office. Eva turned around to see Scott and Kira still sitting beside each other, their hands intertwined. She felt her lower lip tremble as he turned her away, but when she looked up and saw Stiles walk in through the door, she lost the grip she had on whatever composure she was keeping.

"Eva…" Stiles sighed, and Eva could already see the poison taking effect on him – his face paled with circles under his eyes. But he didn't stop the little jog he did before he finally stopped in front of her. Eva stood on the tips of her toes wrapped her arms around his neck, her face buried into his shoulder, the tears silently rolling down her cheeks as Stiles' arms wrapped around her, his hand going to back of her head to stroke her hair gently.

They didn't even exchange any words – he just held her tightly, before he eventually pulled away, his eyes flickering across her face. He reached out to wipe away his tears, before he stepped towards Scott, who still didn't move an inch. His hand went to Scott's shoulder, and when Scott looked up at his friend, eyes reddened with tears, Stiles frowned and patted his shoulder gently – there was nothing that could be said.

Eventually, Stiles had to break the silence, and he reluctantly did it as well, "Did you get the pendant?" He asked as he turned to look at Eva, who shook her head slowly. "It wasn't on him."

"What pendant?" Scott muttered as he looked up, his eyes, despite looking empty, holding a new determination.

"There's a pendant that links Cole to the nemeton." Kira muttered, "Once we destroy it, he's gone."

"Wait," Stiles started quietly, "Where could it possibly be?" He frowned as he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Do they have a house here?" Scott asked, and Stiles shook his head once, "No, it was brought down after he died." The group fell into silence, "If we don't find that pendant…" Eva whispered, shaking her head slowly as her eyes began to well up.

"Eva," Stiles started as he turned to her, "You said that Noshiko told you Rhys' body was in Eichen House."

"But it wasn't." Eva muttered, shaking her head slowly, before it finally dawned upon her. "It's on Rhys' body."

"But we don't even know where Rhys' body is." Kira muttered, "Not necessarily," Scott shook his head as he looked up at Eva, "If what Deaton said was true, if Rhys' was somehow trying to contact you, then he was trying to contact you from the place he was in." Scott muttered, and Eva blinked as she tried to recall the dream, but it seemed almost as if it had happened ages before. "I was panicked…" Eva whispered, "I was in inside a small room with a dead body that was talking…I don't even know where that was."

"Do you not remember any details? Anything that could lead us there?" Stiles asked, and Eva closed her eyes. But the place was too noisy – too crowded. She shook her head slowly and opened her eyes, turning to them with a frown on her face. "I…I was too panicked."

Stiles sighed, but Scott tensed. "We can help you remember." Scott muttered as he got to his feet.

Stiles turned to look at his friend, before he gulped when he realized what Scott was talking about. "What? What is it?" Eva asked, turning to Stiles, "How will you help me remember?"

Scott gulped, shaking his head slowly, "You're not going to like it."

Eva stood beside the tub as Derek and Scott emptied ice bags into the water. Stiles sat on the chair beside her, getting worse by the minute, but refusing to admit it. Eva blinked slowly as she turned to Deaton, "So I'm going to be dead."

"Technically. Your heart will slow down. A lot. It's kind of a…comatose state." He sighed tiredly, and Eva turned to the tub again as Derek and Scott stepped away. "Since Rhys sought you ought the first time, this time you're the one who has to find him. Invite him. Try to find exactly where he is. You don't need an object to link you. You just need to open your mind."

Eva nodded slowly as she heard and tried to register Deaton's words. "How long will I be out?" Eva asked, turning to Stiles and Scott.

"That depends on you, Eva. You need to work fast, though. I don't how much cold your body can withstand." Deaton finally answered when the other two couldn't, and she turned back before she shrugged out of her jacket and set it aside with her phone. Eva stripped down until she was only in her tank top, shorts, and Stiles' wrist band. She didn't have any time to waste, and she couldn't afford to lose it.

Stiles got up slowly, his gaze meeting Eva's before he stepped sideways, holding his hand for her to help her step into the ice bath. The shivers ran through her body, and the goosebumps rose on her skin as soon as her toes made contact with the water. The further she pushed it in, the more she felt the ice cold water stab daggers of shock into her nerves. Eventually Eva had both legs in, and she leaned down to grip the edges of the tub as she sunk down into the water, shivering until she finally settled down, leaning back to rest her head against the edge.

She felt Stiles' hand rest over her shoulders, before Eva pursed her lips tightly to hold her breath in as Stiles pushed her down into the water. The déjà vu was eerie, but one Eva couldn't afford to remember right now. Her body tensed and her lungs began to burn, but for some reason, she felt herself drift off – as if she was going to bed.

Eva gasped as she pushed her head above the surface of the water when the burn suddenly took over, and the need to breathe broke through her peaceful slumber. She quickly moved to get out of cold water, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to conserve some body warmth. Her eyes flickered across the vast room she stood in – white ceramic on the walls, on the ground, on the ceiling. Eva frowned as she stepped forward slowly, her eyes flickering across the room nervously.

"Rhys?" She called out as she glanced around, stepping forward slowly. "Can you hear me?" She asked loudly, listening to her voice echo off in the room. She frowned as she glanced around, "Now would be a very good time for a helpful riddle!"

Eva whirled to the side when she saw something moving beside her, "Rhys!" She called out, recognizing the World War II uniform. "Wait!" She called after him as she ran towards him, or at least she tried to run. She saw him turn around and disappear behind one of the many pillars in the room, and she hurried after him – but when Eva turned around the same pillar, she wasn't in the white room anymore.

She was in the school hallway.

Eva frowned as she glanced from side to side, remembering just exactly which part of the school she was standing in at the very moment. She walked forward slowly, her eyes flickering frantically across the hallway, jumping off the walls, and scanning the ground for any sign of anything that could help. With the limited time she had in her head, Eva could almost feel her heart beat hard against her chest as she searched for Rhys.

Eva was in the main hallway in no time, her eyes easily catching the door that was the Chemistry lab, and the works around it to rebuild the wall and make it look presentable, make it look normal. Mostly, make it look like nothing had happened.

Eva jumped when the door was forced open, and she pushed herself back against the wall. Until she saw Stiles run through the door with Lydia and Scott trailing behind him. Eva frowned before she followed after them, taking off in a sprint to catch up, scared that they might disappear behind the nearest turn just like Rhys did.

Eva seemed to run after them the whole length of the school building until they were on the opposite end. Eva gasped as she watched Scott go into the door that led to the boiler room first, before Stiles followed him, and Lydia trailed behind. Eva tilted her head, pulling her brows into a frown as she followed after them slowly.

Eva was still halfway down the stairs when she heard Lydia whisper, "I don't get it," Lydia whispered as she glanced around the empty room, "She's supposed to be here." That's when she realized what she was seeing – Eva was watching what happened when Rhys was talking to her. Rhys is trying to show her where he was.

"Then where is she, Lydia? Where the _hell _is she?!" Stiles turned to her, his eyes widened with concern and anger, anger that almost scared Eva. But she had to remind herself that it wasn't real. None of this – it was all just a hallucination Rhys used to get in contact with Eva.

"I'm sorry…" Lydia whispered as she flinched and stepped back, "I really thought she was here."

"Look," Scott started calmly, "We can go look for her somewhere else. She has to be somewhere."

"Of course she's somewhere, Scott!" Stiles yelled at him too, before he turned away from both his friends. Scott frowned before he turned to Lydia, "This is the right place right?" Lydia nodded quickly, before her gaze drifted forward towards the end of the wall, towards a patch of wall that was so easily obvious to anyone.

Eva stared at the wall before she sucked in a deep breath through her lips. She knew where Rhys' body was.


	20. No Rest For The Wicked

**A/N:**

**Nearing a finale now - Now you should be warned, the next story has been a work in progress for almost a year now, and to be honest, I really screwed up the plotline so I'll probably spend some time rewriting most of it but it's in the works. Also, I have finally decided a fourth installement of the Resurrection Series will be the last story, and will be named _Don't Look Back. _Stay tuned my lovely readers, and I again you have no idea how much it means to me if you're reading this. **

* * *

Eva gasped when the burning sensation returned to her chest, and she immediately jerked her body forward. Her head broke through surface just in time as hands gripped her arms and pulled her out of the ice bath. She coughed and gasped as Derek immediately sat her down and Stiles moved to drape a towel over her figure. "Hey," Stiles whispered, the weakness obvious in his voice as he reached out to hold her face and lift her head, "Breathe, you're out. Just breathe."

Eva opened her eyes slowly, her hands moving to push her wet hair back as she finally regained control on her breathing, and started shivering. Stiles' eyes flickered across her face as he gripped the edges of the towel and wrapped them around Eva, "I know where the body is." Eva whispered quickly as she looked up at Derek. Eva finally allowed herself to look at whoever was in the room. Except she realized it was only Derek and Stiles, "Where's everybody?"

"Scott's at the hospital with his dad…The Oni got him too." Derek muttered, glancing down at Stiles, "Stiles' dad is at the hospital too, as well as Deaton. Morrell has some kind of…remedy that will hold off the effect of the poison." Derek explained, "Kira's outside with the twins, keeping watch."

Eva's eyes drifted to Stiles' eyes – the exhaustion was manifest on his face. No, not exhaustion. Illness. He looked ill – his eyes sinking into his skull, the sweat breaking on his forehead. Eva swallowed thickly as she reached out to touch his forehead, "You're on fire." She whispered, her eyes meeting his tired ones. He let out a weak chuckle, "Says the girl who has just been in an ice bath." He muttered.

Eva looked up at Derek, "The body's at the school." Eva whispered, "But I highly doubt we'll be able to just get in there. And he has the oni now."

"The twins and I will distract him, and you go with Kira to finish this." Derek finished for her and Eva nodded once as she pushed herself off the chair she was seated on. Stiles blinked as he stood up as well, "You're not going anywhere," Eva turned to Stiles, shaking her head. "I can't risk that."

"But I can?" Stiles shook his head once, "If you go, there's a big possibility you might…" Stiles stopped, biting his tongue as he shook his head once, not really wanting to believe what had happened that same very night, and refusing to say the words out loud. "You might not come back."

"Someone has to do something before we lose more people, Stiles." Eva whispered, shaking her head once. Stiles' eyes flickered to Derek, who nodded once as he turned to leave the clinic. Stiles turned to Eva again once Derek was gone, "Are you absolutely sure you know what you're going to do?"

"I am." Eva nodded firmly, "Allison died saving my life, and I will not let her death become vain." Eva whispered as her eyes welled up, "I know what I'm supposed to do and I'll do it even if…" Eva stopped as she looked up at Stiles and pursed her lips sadly, "Even if it kills me, Stiles."

Stiles swallowed thickly before he shrugged out hoodie he'd managed to get on his way here and stepped closer to drape it over her shoulders. Eva looked up at him as she pushed her arms through the sleeves and smiled a bit, "But you're going to do something as well." Eva started, before she gestured for Stiles to lean down. Eva stretched onto the tips of her toes to whisper into his ear, before she stepped back and lifted both brows as she looked up at Stiles, who nodded once.

"Can you do this?" She whispered, and Stiles nodded again, "I can."

Eva took a deep breath and stepped closer again to press her lips to Stiles' – the kiss was quick and abrupt, they didn't have time. With the words caught in Stiles' throat, he watched Eva turn around and leave the clinic.

Eva walked out to see Kira standing alone, holding up her katana, the new one, or the old one. The one she repaired. "Derek and the twins left?" Eva asked, and Kira nodded once. Eva blinked slowly as she thought of this one person, and she turned to Kira, "Where's Isaac?"

Kira turned to Eva and frowned, "I…I haven't seen him after we left the station." Kira whispered, "I think he's with Alli- he's with Argent." Kira muttered as she turned to face forward again. "Do you know where he is?" Eva asked again, glancing back at the clinic once before she turned to Kira again, who shook her head slowly.

Eva nodded once, "We need to go to the school and find that locket." Eva mumbled, and glanced sideways at Kira, who took a deep breath and shoved the katana back into its sheath. The two girls jogged towards the parking lot before it dawned upon them that they literally had no mode of transportation. Eva closed her eyes when she realized that Stiles' jeep was left back at the social services building, or at least, that's where she thought it was. Maybe Argent had moved it.

They turned around when the headlights illuminated their path, and stepped aside as Lydia parked her car in front of the two girls, "Come on, we need to hurry." She whispered, not lifting her gaze from the windshield. Eva glanced sideways at Kira before she hurried to sit in the back seat, not ready to face Lydia now.

It wasn't long before they were parking in front of the school – all the way Eva's heart was going faster than a train's engine within her chest, almost breaking through her ribs, or that's how it felt like to her. She took a deep as she flickered her gaze to the rearview mirror, her eyes momentarily meeting Lydia's before she quickly turned away and pushed herself out of the car.

"Eva," Lydia called out as she rolled down her window, and Eva turned back to the girl. "Someone is going to die tonight." Lydia whispered as she turned to look up at her. Eva swallowed thickly and let her eyes flicker to the ground, "Make sure it's Cole." Lydia whispered, and Eva looked up at her again, "Don't let Allison's death become vain."

Eva swallowed thickly and nodded once. "You have to stay away from this." Eva muttered, her eyes flickering sideways to Kira who stood beside Eva with her sword in hand, "You have to leave."

"You really thought you can just come here and have your werewolf friends create a distraction to get the locket? You really thought it was that easy?" Eva whirled around immediately to stare at Cole, who stood there, a look of disappointment on his face, "I really though you would be smarter than that." He muttered as he stepped forward. Kira moved to stand beside Eva, taking a step forward protectively in front of Eva.

"Lydia, go." Eva whispered as she rammed her fist against the car's door, urging Lydia to just press her foot down on that gas pedal.

"No one's going anywhere." Cole whispered just as one of the Oni appeared out of nowhere and sunk its sword into the engine of Lydia's car, causing the red head to let out a panicked shriek as she hurried out of the car. Eva grabbed Lydia's wrist and pulled her away from the car, the two girls backing away as Kira moved in front of them.

"Is that's adorable?" Cole lifted a brow as he turned to the three girls, "Girl power, right?" He lifted a brow before he shook his head slowly, "What are you going to do now? Stay busy with protecting each other, or actually do something?" He tilted his head as he moved around them, "Because I can easily just kill the three of you."

"Not on my watch, you won't."

Eva glanced over her shoulder at Scott, and felt a weak sigh of relief leave her lips as he lunged at Cole, Kira using the chance to lunge at the oni. Cole disappeared into thin air, as well as the oni did. "Where did they go?" Lydia whispered, her eyes widened, and Scott shook his head furiously, "We don't have time to wonder on that. We have to find that locket."

Eva turned to Kira, before they took off into a sprint across the parking lot and into the school, Scott and Lydia following close behind. Only when Kira and Eva burst through the doors, they were no longer staring at the school hallways.

Eva turned to Kira, only to pull her brows into a frown when her eyes fell onto the dress Kira was wearing – the shoulder padding and the belt around her waist, until eventually they found the end of the dress at her knees. Eva frowned, her eyes flickering to Kira's face, the hair that was tied into an up-do Eva was more than familiar with. Kira was the split image of her mother during Oak Creek.

But Kira wasn't the only one with a changed appearance – when she looked down at herself she saw a dress that too ended at her knees, the fabric striped with deep red and white. Her hands moved up to touch her hair, and she frowned before she turned to Kira, "What happened?" She whispered, and Kira shook her head. At least she still had her katana.

The two girls glanced around, trying to recognize where they stood. "Have you been here before?" Eva whispered, and Kira shook her head as they both moved forward.

"February 19, 1942 was the date President Roosevelt authorized the internment of Japanese Americans along the Pacific Coast. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor." Cole voice echoed throughout the hallways, and the two girls tried to turn towards the source of the voice – but the echoes bouncing off the walls made it all but easy. "Do you know when exactly was Pearl Harbor bombed, little druid?"

"December 7th, 1941." Kira whispered, and Eva glanced back at her as they both slowly moved backwards.

"Correct." Cole whispered, and both Kira and Eva turned around to stare at him hovering above them. "My brother was a medic. All he ever wanted to do was help people, save their lives, and when he heard about the internment camps, he jumped at the chance to serve there as well, because he wanted to help keep them safe there." Cole whispered, before he looked down at Kira, "Then your mother ruined everything."

"Are we supposed to feel bad for you?" Eva whispered and shook her head slowly, "You killed people. Innocent people who had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to your brother." Eva pushed forward despite Kira's body tensing, trying to keep her from passing through. "I'm going to make sure you're dead tonight. This time, once and for all."

A smirk tugged at Cole's lips, "I guess the darkness does run among you, Baccaris." He whispered, and Eva locked her jaw. Her eyes flickered from his hardened gaze to catch something on the ground, just behind Cole, and she lifted her eyes to his face again. "This is not real." She mumbled as she stepped back slowly, holding her arms up to push Kira backwards as well, "You have a shadow." She muttered, and swallowed thickly.

"Of course it isn't real." Cole commented, his voice a mixture or satire and mockery, "How in the world did you think you changed into these clothes. God, kids these days. Social networks are the main reason your IQ has become so limited, right?"

Eva glanced back at Kira, who shrugged helplessly, before Eva turned back to Cole again, "What are you going to get out of putting us in a figment of your past anyways?" She whispered, eyes narrowing. Since the villains always had a knack of revealing their 'plans' especially when they thought they were winning, Eva pushed her luck.

"I'm buying time." He whispered, "So your loved ones would die, and you would no longer have a reason to live." He shrugged once, "It's really simple."

Eva didn't need to hear more, "Run." She whispered as both she and Kira turned around the sprint across the tunnel, not daring to look back. The tunnel ahead of them seemed to stretch the faster they ran, and soon Eva was beginning to tire, her body still not quite fit for such effort – she was after all still recovering from a chest injury.

It was when they heard a howl that they stopped, and Kira glanced sideways to a passage of stairs that appeared out of nowhere. She didn't hesitate, following the howl with Eva descending quickly after her. Kira pushed her hands against the barred door, and when it opened, they were no longer in the tunnels.

Kira and Eva ran forward and almost into Lydia and Scott, both of them stopping with a miracle. "It worked." Lydia sighed, relieved, and Eva frowned. "What worked?"

"We saw you running and we called for you, but you didn't hear us." Scott muttered as he stepped forward to take his place beside Kira. Eva let them ramble on explanations as she took a few steps away from them, her wide, hazel hues flickering across the vast and completely white room they stood in. It stretched on either sides, no walls containing it, but no doors or windows, or even anything to signal and exit.

"We're losing time." Eva whispered as she quickly turned around to Scott, "He's messing with us. He wants us to waste time…" Eva shook her head, "Enough time for the poison to…" Eva pressed her lips into a thin line, before she glanced around, "How the hell do we get out of here?" Lydia whispered, and Scott glanced sideways at Eva, "You've been here, right?" He asked, and Eva nodded slowly, "Deaton's ice bath."

"When I was here, I had to find the nemeton, so it was right there and I moved right towards it." Scott whispered, and Eva blinked once as she tried to pick up the pattern, "I was looking for Rhys' body and I saw him running so I followed him."

"Well, we're still looking for Rhys' body." Lydia whispered, and Eva shook her head, "This is different." Eva whispered, "I told Rhys to show me. But Cole has us locked here. We have to be smart."

"If none of us is unconscious then we're still at the school." Kira pointed out, "This isn't real. We're just seeing what he's putting in our heads, right? If we can find a door, any door, we'll just be where we want to be."

Eva stared at Kira before she nodded slowly, "She's right." Eva let her gaze dance between Lydia and Scott's faces, before she whirled around again at the double doors that embedded themselves in a wall Eva could have sworn was not even there. She glanced over her shoulders at her friends, before Scott nodded and moved forwards, the three girls following after him.

Scott reached out a careful hand to push the door forward, and they walked through, they were in the school hallway.

"That was too easy." Lydia pointed out as she stepped forward to stand beside Scott, "Way too easy."

"Finally someone with a good head on her shoulders." Eva turned around to see Cole standing there with two of the Oni behind him. "The fun only starts now."

The Oni sidestepped and lunged at the teenagers. Scott pushed Lydia behind the row of lockers as he crouched in defense in front of her, while Kira at one of the Oni was well, using her Katana to block his attack, and his way too.

"Eva!" Scott called out as he aimed a well charged kick at the Oni's chest, "Go find that locket! We don't have time!"

Eva's eyes flickered between her friends before she bit her lip and turned around to take off in a sprint, trying her best to block out the sounds of the sight happening behind her – the battle cries and the metal clashing on metal sounding like the melody for a twisted end Eva was not about ready to face.

She pushed her legs to the limit, feeling the muscles begin to ache and contract in protest, but she didn't have time to get cramps now. Her side ached where the surgery had been done but there was no time. She was gasping, forgetting all about how to regulate her breathing as she ran, eventually she almost rammed into the door that led to the stairs to the boiler room. Eva grabbed the knob and pulled at it, "No, no, no…" She whispered under her breath as she tugged with sweaty hands at the door – but it was locked. She glanced around helplessly, before she turned to the door again.

It was all going to end because the door was locked.

Then she remembered what her mother had told her about channeling power into physical strength, _"I used to break stuff with your grandmother. It was the only way you could learn."_

Eva had had her fair share of reading. It was time to act upon all that she's learned – to prove not only to herself but to her mother, and her aunt, that she wasn't the weak girl they thought she'd be. Eva swallowed thickly as she closed her eyes, her hands tightening around the knob. She needed to focus all her concentration and all her power into doing this, into pulling the door free.

She needed to imagine it.

With determination she opened her eyes, the silver glow recurring, burning brighter than before she let out a strangled cry through her teeth, pulling at the knob with all her might. Eva could feel the knob begin to take the shape of her palm, and she felt the muscles in her arms burn – but she didn't stop. She pulled at the door relentlessly, until it finally came free, the remains of the lock clashing against the floor as Eva staggered backwards.

A disbelieving chuckle left her lips as she quickly gathered her bearings and almost tumbled down the stairs. She almost reached out in attempt to break the other door as well, but it was unlocked. Eva hurried into the boiler room, her eyes flickering across the pipes and the pumps that she was sure were scorching hot, the heat radiating off of it. Eva could already feel the sweat break on her body.

She realized she stood where Stiles, Scott, and Lydia stood in her dream, and she frowned as she glanced around, her eyes searching for the wall – the one that was so obviously out of place. As soon as her eyes found it, Eva saw Cole materialize out of thin air in front of her, "You're becoming such a thorn in my side, Eva Davis." He muttered, all the satire gone from his voice, his dropping to such a menacing frequency it ran shivers through her spine, despite the heat they stood in. "You should have died in Eichen House."

"But I didn't." Eva whispered as she stepped towards him slowly, daringly, in her mind she had no plan of action but one goal – how she was supposed to reach the wall behind Cole, break it, find the locket, and destroy it.

"But you will now." He smiled, almost sweetly, as he reached out to wrap a steel grip around his neck again. Eva staggered backward but tried to hold her ground, in her mind she recalled how she tried to rip his hands off her neck the last time and couldn't feel them when she tried to. Eva shut her eyes tightly when she realized that this was just like all of Cole' other tricks. Her own duplicate on the car, dead. The white room. The tunnels. None of it was real. And Cole wasn't really choking her right now.

Eva gasped and stepped back, gasping and coughing to stretch her airways, "Look who's grown smarter." He sighed, and Eva quickly stood up again, straightening her back as she flexed her fingers at her side.

"Fool me once, right?" Eva whispered as she stepped forward again, her step wider, steadier. Dauntless.

"It was more than once." He corrected, and Eva shook her head, "But this was the last time." Eva resolved as she held her palm up, and flicked her wrist to the side, watching as Cole flew into one of the pipes. She was surprised when she heard the sizzle of his skin against the scorching metal, but wasted no time trying to figure out how a ghost could get burned as she hurried towards the wall. Her eyes flickered sideways, before she realized she was going to have to using her hands again.

It was easier, this time the adrenaline too fueled her endeavors. Her fingers curled up into fists as she rammed them continually against the wall, easily imagining the poor wall begin to crumble underneath the force of her swings. She saw the cracks begin to web through the dull, gray surface, before she felt someone grab the back of her hair and pull her backwards, "I'm not going to go easy on you. Not anymore." Cole whispered through his teeth as he pushed Eva forward, her face inches away from one of the burning pipes.

She couldn't help the whimper that left her lips when the heat began to make her eyes water and her skin flush. She tried to reach out with her hands to push herself off, but found nothing to hold onto. Eva almost reached out to push off the pipes themselves, knowing well her hands would get more than just burned in the process, but she had no other option.

Until the pressure on her head was gone, and when Eva turned back, Isaac was holding a container of mistletoe – an empty container of mistletoe, while Cole curled on the ground in pain. Eva quickly pressed herself back against the wall, before Isaac hurried towards her, "Is it behind that wall?" He asked, and Eva nodded quickly, stepping back to let someone with actual superhuman strength break the wall. And it crumbled from the first strike.

Eva didn't have time to stand in shock as she stared at the body propped up against the wall – maybe the burrow in Eichen House looked familiar, but this was the place she was in. Swallowing down any trace of claustrophobia, Eva climbed into the cramped space, her eye blindly searching the body for the locket until she found it in the pocket of his jacket. She grabbed it and pulled back, stepped out of the wall, Isaac helping her onto her feet.

"Don't you dare…" She heard Cole growl between his teeth, his voice turning inhuman. Eva blinked once as she stared down at the locket, before she swallowed thickly, felt the metal in her hands begin to heat up as its temperature began to rise, and she let it drop to the floor when it was too hot for her hands to hold onto. When it dropped to the floor, it went up in flames, just as Cole' body did. His screams sent chills through Eva's body, echoed throughout the whole school.

Eva eventually had to turn away as his body crumbled into ashes then into air, disappearing as if it never existed. So did the fiery locket. It was all gone. It was all over.

Eva glanced up at Isaac, hold took a deep breath and nodded slowly, his expression still sullen, the pain still fresh on his every feature. They quietly moved away from the broken wall, from the body of the dead medic, before Eva stopped and turned back slowly to stare at it, an idea springing into her head before she followed Isaac back to the school hallway.

She let him lead the way, since she could no longer hear the sound of the fighting echoing throughout the school anymore. "It was the arrow head." He whispered, his voice choked. Eva looked up at Isaac and blinked slowly, "Allison made six silver arrow heads. The one she used, the one that killed the oni, it was made from silver."

Eva took a deep breath as she recalled her last moment with Stiles in the clinic,

"_But you're going to do something as well." Eva started, before she gestured for Stiles to lean down. Eva stretched onto the tips of her toes to whisper into his ear, "Allison said something about the arrows before she died…and she said she needed to tell her dad. I know Scott thought she meant to tell her dad that she loved him, but I think it has to do with the fact that it killed one of those things. You have to tell him that. Maybe he knows something." _

_She stepped back, knowing too well how insensitive and rude what she wanted had sounded – but it was one of Allison's last words, and it was a message they were entitled to deliver. "Can you do this?" Eva lifted both brows as she looked up at Stiles, who nodded once_. _"I can."_

Eva felt the air get heavier again, and she knew there was something Isaac was not telling her. They stepped out onto the front halls, standing a few meters away from the stairs that led to the below-ground level court yard that made the school's design somewhat special. But it wasn't the place. It was from where she stood, Eva saw Ethan knelt down beside Aiden, whose mouth was tainted with black blood – black blood that only meant one thing. He was dying.

And she knew it was Aiden because Lydia was on her knees beside him as well, her eyes swollen with tears. Stiles turned his head away just to meet Eva's gaze, and it was almost like a pull that made Eva move slowly towards him. Argent and Derek stood a few steps away, and Isaac didn't even want to be any closer than he already was, his wounds still too fresh to watch another pack member die.

But Eva had finally reached Stiles, and he pulled her into his side like his life depended on it, and her hands gripped his shirt, the blood on her knuckles already beginning to dry up. No words needed to be exchanged. Kira stood helplessly behind Lydia, while Scott stood behind Ethan, his face having lost its color, and the self-reproach drawing every aspect of his face.

It was when Ethan finally laid Aiden's limp corpse on the ground, that Lydia finally screamed – in agony, in grief. As a friend, as a girlfriend, as a sister, as a banshee. Eva turned her face away to bury it into Stiles' side as the tears burned in her eyes. Another friend was dead. Another member of the pack.

Another member of their family.


	21. Take Us Back To The Start

**A/N:**

**It's here, finally, the end. But not entirely, because get ready for the sequel, Who We Are, which I will announce when I will be posting soon. I hope everyone enjoyed Under My Skin &amp; The Darkness Among Us. Always remember, my askbox is open to any sort of ideas and criticism. I hope you husy enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

_Three days after Allison Argent had died. Two days after Aiden had died._

Ethan had enough money to bury his brother, a small service the following day before he broke up with Danny and got the hell out of Beacon Hills. They all felt the guilt weigh in their hearts when none of them had much to say at the small funeral except Lydia and Kira – that they all could have possibly known Aiden. That they all could have given him a chance.

Stiles was the one who felt most guilty, being the one who told Scott in the beginning not to let him into the pack.

"I wouldn't want someone to just attend my funeral just because they had to." Stiles had told her when they left, and Eva had had nothing to say to him but a few words of comfort she knew wouldn't be enough to make him feel any better. But no one had enough words to feel any one better at all.

They hadn't seen Scott for three days, nor had they seen Isaac, or Lydia. Each remained in their own rooms, refusing to talk to anyone, to acknowledge what had happened. Eva sent Lydia almost ten voice mails a day, the concern going from mild to malignant in barely two hours every day.

"_This is Lydia Martin's phone. Please don't leave a message if it's not important."_

"Lydia," Eva sighed as she closed her eyes, "Hey, it's – well, it's me." Eva sighed loudly and closed her eyes. "Are you okay?" She whispered, "I know this morning was hard, with Aiden's funeral and Ethan leaving and…I just need to know if you're okay." Eva finally sighed, before she chewed on the inside of her cheek and let her eyes drift to the ground, "I know…I know I should have listened to you and I know it's all my fault, but I know that you're not just upset with me cause you haven't picked up any of Stiles' or Kira's calls and we want to make sure you're okay. So just…give us a sign, anything."

Eva sighed as she lowered her phone and eventually watched the phone call end on its own when the voice mail capacity ended.

She pushed her hair back and texted Stiles, _She's not answering her phone._

_Scott and Isaac are not answering their phones either. _Stiles answered, and Eva frowned before she eventually texted again, _Maybe we should just…let them be._

Eva looked up when she heard the bathroom door open, and she pursed her lips as she set her phone down on the nightstand and got out of her room. After all the oni were dead, everyone who'd been injured by their blades became unscathed, the wounds healing as if they were never there to begin with. And Eva knew she had no time to wait – there were so many questions unanswered, and the answers were crucial. And life was short.

"Do I have a brother?" Eva blurted out as soon as she saw her father in the kitchen. He looked up from what he was doing, before his expression turned solemn.

"Who told you?" He whispered, and Eva felt the words hit her like a hammer, before she swallowed thickly and closed her eyes, "Obviously not you."

"Daniel." Her father breathed out as he went to sit down slowly on one of the kitchen chairs, "He's your twin brother. You….You were the weaker twin, the one that was most likely not going to survive. You had to be delivered early if you were going to stand any chance. Your mother and I….we were young, when we had you. Young and reckless and broke. When she broke away from her family, declined all her druid teachings, all the money was taken away from her." He whispered, and Eva pulled her brows into a frown as she let her hands fall to her side.

"We'd gave up all we had to save your life…" The man sighed, "We couldn't afford to take care of another child."

"You gave him up." Eva whispered, shaking her head slowly. She'd have expected some old vendetta from a werewolf pack, someone who was after them and they thought he'd be safer away from all of this…but an actual financial problem that caused them to give him up. Something that was so real. So…_normal. _Eva felt as if someone had taken her heart into a steel grip and twisted it, "He's in Eichen House."

James' eyes flickered up to his daughter's face, and Eva pursed her lips as she turned to look away from him, "He's a patient in Eichen House because he got kicked out of so many foster homes, he had nowhere to stay so they put him there." Eva whispered, "Your son is in a mental institute that probably drives people insane than cure them for I don't know how long. My brother. My twin brother."

"Eva-" The man started, but she cut him off, "No, dad." Eva sighed, "Don't try to explain this to me because there is no…reason or explanation that would make me feel less horrible about myself than I feel now." She sighed and shook her head as she looked down, "All we can do is get him out…"

That was what happened on the first day.

The second day began before Eva could even realize that it did. She'd stayed in bed that day, watching the angle of the sun's rays change as it rose in the sky. She stared at the window for the longest time until she heard the knock on the door, and she pulled her brows into a frown as she turned her head towards the door, having no energy or reason to even get up. "Come in." She sighed, and pursed her lips into a weak smile when she saw Stiles peer through the door.

She pulled herself up slowly as he sat at the edge of the bed, "How come you're still in bed?" He asked, and Eva sighed, shaking her head, "How come you're not?"

Stiles grew silent for a minute – it had taken him a lot of effort to actually get out of bed that day too. Tomorrow would be the funeral Argent had managed to put together for Allison, a day they all dreaded. Stiles remembered the last time he's been in the cemetery way too clearly. Possibly because it wasn't that far off from where he was now. It was the day after Eva got discharged from the hospital, and he'd made sure she was settled and tucked in before he left. And his jeep carried him to the cemetery almost on its own.

He couldn't believe tomorrow they'd bury Allison Argent.

It's true, Stiles didn't know much about Allison, but she was a lot like a sister to him. He was even fascinated by her once upon a time, and jealous of her friendship with Lydia. Not everyone would notice that but Allison Argent was someone to him too. She was a friend. A sister. A rolemodel of sorts.

But he'd gotten up and left the house, because someone had to be strong for the group to hold onto. He brushed a loose strand of Eva's hair behind her ear and pressed his lips into a thin line, "It's going to be okay."

"Is it?" Eva whispered and shook her head slowly, "It only seems like it's going to get worse now."

Stiles chewed on the inside of his cheek before he started, "Deaton told Scott something the other day." Stiles started, and Eva looked up at him, blinking once, "Do you know the expression, regression to the mean?"

Eva frowned and shook her head slowly, "It means," He started, "That things can't always be bad, but they can't always be good too." Stiles explained, and Eva blinked slowly this time comprehending what Stiles wanted to say, "Regression to the mean." She repeated slowly, before she looked up at Stiles and pursed her lips, "Do you really believe that?"

Stiles remained silent for a second as he contemplated the thought, before he smiled and nodded once, "I do." He whispered, "Maybe it would take more time. Maybe it would just happen in a few days. But I do believe that we'll find ourselves halfway. Living normally."

Eva let out a longing sigh as she thought of the idea of normality in their lives. She turned to Stiles and pursed her lips into a small smile, before she let her gaze drop to the ground, "I asked my dad about Daniel." Eva whispered, and Stiles frowned as he sat up slowly, "Turns out he is my brother. My twin brother."

Stiles stared at her, confused, before explained to him the whole story. Stiles shook his head slowly once she was done, "Even if we sign him out. He's going to turn eighteen soon and he'll probably not even stand looking at any of us."

"You don't know that." Stiles sighed, and Eva looked up at him, "Maybe he wants to have a family just as much as you want him to be in it." Stiles shook his head slowly, and Eva looked down. "And there's Malia too." Eva whispered as she looked up at Stiles again, "When I saw her in Eichen House she said she wanted to be turned back. We're the one who were responsible of turning her back to human. She's not going to just fit into our world." Eva muttered, shaking her head slowly, "She's our responsibility, Stiles."

Stiles nodded slowly, before he reached out to take Eva's hand, "And we have school, too." He pointed out, "We have to pass this year so we can give senior year a shot."

Eva looked up at Stiles and shook her head slowly as she breathed out a small laugh, her eyes drifting to the duvet that was till entangled around her legs. Talking about school and college and all of that was just so odd to her. It almost seemed abnormal. It was funny really, what was completely normal to other people, to them was a complete anomaly.

At least they had that to look forward to, She thought to herself as she stared down at their hands.

That was the second day.

Eva couldn't sleep at all the third day. She remained awake in bed until it was finally time to get up and get into the black dress she'd picked out yesterday. She stared at it for a long time before she realized that she had to go help Lydia get dressed too, so she quickly got ready.

Before Eva left, she stared at the nightstand beside her bed, specifically at the bottom drawer. She moved towards it and crouched in front of it slowly, opening the drawer to pull out the velvet box that held the anchor necklace Stiles had gotten her. She stared down at it, a soft smile curling on her lips as she did, before she undid the clasp and placed it around her neck, the pads of her fingers briefly running over the ornate infinity and the anchor hanging through it as she stood up and turned to leave.

Eva arrived at the front door of the Martin Household just as Kira got of her father's car. Eva glanced sideways at her best friend, before they both wrapped each other in a tight embrace. Eva couldn't fathom what Lydia must have been feeling but Kira knew what it was like, but they both knew it would have been too hard for either of them to bare the idea of losing each other, and they didn't know how Lydia would be able to handle it.

But Lydia greeted them in living room, already in her own funeral attire, her hair pulled up into an intricate braid. But her face held no emotion – no emotion but one, at least. Pain.

The girls exchanged concerned glances before they reached out, each taking one of Lydia's hands. Her mother followed close after, and they all rode in her car to the cemetery. It was a quiet trip, no one talking – the only sound inside the vehicle was its purring engine and their breathing. The only thing that changed was Lydia's grip on both Eva and Kira's hand, the grip that tightened as soon as they parked the car.

They walked slowly towards where the saw the chairs set in front of the dug up grave, the casket ready to be lowered as soon as the time came. Each of the girls grabbed her own white rose and they took their place beside the boys standing at the side. Argent stood at the head of the casket, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes never leaving the burgundy wood of the casket that held his daughter inside it.

The minister's words were lost in the background as Eva stared down at the casket, memories of Allison flashing before her eyes. They'd went from meeting on a rather edgy incident to friends to sisters in no time. Allison looked after Eva when her mother had died, when she'd barely survived her own aunt. Now the only difference was that Allison didn't survive this time.

She looked up when Chris' voice broke into her thoughts and invaded her head, "Allison was my daughter, my only daughter. Her last words to me was that she was proud of us. And that she loved me." He whispered, his face stolid, but she could see it begging to crack, "And I'm proud of us as well. I'm proud of her." Chris sighed as he eventually looked down, and Eva knew that if he kept going, his exterior would shatter, and he would break down. He picked up the shovel and emptied some of the dirt on top of the casket, before he stepped back.

One by the one they all gave the words they wanted to lay with Allison, the one thing they'll be able to leave her along with the flowers that won't last a week.

Isaac didn't speak – when he was told to step forward after Chris, he only shoveled in some dirt as well before, he shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest almost violently, his eyes holding a wretched look as they welled up with tears. Scott glanced sideways at him before he took a deep breath and stepped forward, "Allison Argent…well, she was my first love." Scott whispered, "But she was more than just a girl that I've fallen in love with. She was everything that could be in a person. She was brave. She was smart. She was mature. But she was also funny, kind, and childish." Scott let his eyes flicker to the ground, "I'm not good with the words…but all I know is that Allison didn't deserve to leave us so soon, and I know I will never forget her." And he too shoveled in some of the dirt.

They each stepped forward, each with their own improvised and barely enough eulogy in Allison's honor. At least that's what Eva thought, which is why when she stepped forward, the words that left her lips were, "I didn't prepare a eulogy, because I didn't keep in mind that Allison would leave us so soon. Like Scott said." She muttered before she shook her head, "But she did. She left, her life sacrificed to protect me, to keep me alive. And I'm not just forever grateful for what she did, I will never forget Allison. As I'm sure none of us will. She didn't just live with us, or know us. She changed us." Eva whispered before she grabbed the shovel and finally shoveled in some, before she stepped back, and fell in row with her friends.

They watched the casket disappear underneath the dirt, and watched the hole diminish into even grounds. One by one, they stepped forward to leave their roses by the headstone, before Eva slowly stepped back.

She didn't even realize the place had cleared up until it was only Lydia and Scott standing beside Allison's grave. She frowned and moved back slowly, letting them have the privacy they needed. When her eyes scanned the cemetery, she saw Stiles in a distance, standing in front of another grave. She tilted her head and started towards him, feeling as if someone had their eyes on her.

When Eva glanced sideways, she saw Malia standing by a tree. The girl stared at her for a long minute before she turned back to the grave she stood in front of her, beside her a man Eva recognized as her father. Malia set down the flowers between two headstones, before her father wrapped his arm around her and guided her out of the cemetery. Eva watched her leave before she went on her way towards Stiles.

"Hey." She called out softly, and Stiles glanced sideways at her, a weak smile trembling onto his lips as he reached out to take her hand and pull her into his side. Eva's eyes flickered down to the head stone, before she swallowed down the lump of sobs that rose to her throat yet again that day. _Claudia Stilinski. Beloved Daughter, Wife, and Mother. _

Stiles stood in silence until Eva finally dared to speak, "Hey, Mrs. Stilinski." She whispered, and Stiles looked down at her, blinking in surprise, "I'm Eva. I'm your son's girlfriend." Eva whispered, a small smile curling on her lips, "You have a great son. Albeit he has his weird moments, but he is an amazing young man." Eva glanced up at Stiles, "And I promise I'll take care of him." Eva muttered as she smiled up at him briefly before she turned her attention back to the head stone, "We haven't had the pleasure of meeting in this life but I'm sure you were an amazing woman too. Stiles looks a lot like you."

Eva felt Stiles' grip on her hand tighten, "So I just wanted to tell you not to worry about him. That he'll always have me, and his friends. And I guess it was nice to meet you." Eva finally finished as she leaned her head onto Stiles' shoulder. Stiles smiled as he leaned down to press his lips to the top of her head, before he pulled away and breathed out, "I love you."

Eva blinked slowly as she turned to look up at him. Stiles looked down at her, before he swallowed thickly and started again, "I've been wanting to say it for…a very long time, but no time seemed to be the right, and there's no right time. Not in this town. Every time you left I thought of the possibility that you might never come back, and that you might never know. So I had to say it, even if once, even if you don't feel the same." Stiles finally took another deep breath, "I'm in love with you, Eva Davis."

Eva let out a small laugh, before she reached out to brush a few stranded hair s from his face, then let her hand move to hold his face gently, her palm caressing his jaw as her thumb stroked his cheekbone gently, "I'm in love with you, Stiles Stilinski." She whispered once it had dawned upon that she did – she really did love him as well. She wasn't just saying it because she had to, or because he did. She said it because he meant it. Because they were so close to losing each other, and they watched Scott and Allison lose each other that they couldn't afford the risk themselves.

Stiles smiled down at Eva before he pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping around her torso to hold her to him dearly. Eva's arms wound around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder, and they were lost in each other's embrace, tears springing to both their eyes. Tears of sadness and of joy.

All they needed now was a step to put themselves back on the right track again, and hope that they can move forward from this today, and on. Because after all of that happened, they can't go back to where they'd started.


End file.
